There are several reasons we might not have digital copies of a book that we own in print.
First, not all print books are made available in digital formats.
Second, while the public usually pays less for e-books and audiobooks than their physical counterparts, library licenses usually cost much more than the retail price. And licenses don’t always last forever, typically expiring after 1 to 2 years, or 26/52 checkouts. Because of these restrictions and budget constraints, the library simply isn’t able to buy or re-buy every e-book we would like to.
Third, publishers don’t make all e-books/audiobooks available for libraries. Some titles are exclusive to Amazon platforms like Kindle or Audible, or they may be “windowed” so that libraries can’t purchase them until several months after their publication date.
Finally, sometimes e-books go “out of print,” often when a new edition is released.
Nonetheless, library staff always do their best to pre-order popular titles a month in advance so you can read the latest bestsellers as soon as possible. If we don’t have a title you’re interested in, you can submit a purchase request for a cloudLibrary e-book or audiobook (we cannot buy titles for hoopla).
