Would it? If all books were available in DRM-free formats, you could replace an entire building with a single computer and some offsite backups. The energy use for lighting, air conditioning, elevators, and everything else that goes into running a library is non-negligible. Not to mention the embodied energy of all the materials for building and maintaining a large structure for 100 years.<p>That&#x27;s not to say I&#x27;d support replacing libraries with an ebook lending system; they serve important functions beyond book lending, and I like paper books anyway. But I wouldn&#x27;t claim that they&#x27;re low energy.