L.A. is an e-book borrower's paradise. A major publisher's crackdown could hurt
LOS ANGELES - Keaton Kustler rarely visits the Los Angeles Public Library, though her apartment is just two blocks from its historic Wilshire Branch. When she wants a book - which is often - she borrows one from an app, using a library card she got through her smartphone.
"The last year of my life has been rocked by the library," said Kustler, 27. "I'm kicking myself it took me so long."
She represents a growing faction of impassioned readers driving a nationwide surge in digital borrowing. Like other devotees, she now collects library cards to satisfy her voracious reading habit.
The practice is widespread, but in L.A., it's become a rite of passage. The county is home to more than 30 of the state's 184 library systems, and though most accept applications only in person, their physical proximity and a quirk of
