I think the current "3 copies out at a time" model also has a 100 borrows and then the library has to buy it again. limitation. (The number is probably higher than 100, though.)
Edit: I was wrong, it's lower than 100. From the article:
> In 2011, HarperCollins introduced a new lending model that was capped at twenty-six checkouts, after which a library would need to purchase the book again.
Further proof that the library system is just plain being broken by publishers.
There's a lot of bad shit in this world, but oh boy do I wish some of our country's leaders would solve problems like this. We don't elevate youth or those around us by limiting access to knowledge.
That passage though does provide some more details:
"For a classic work, which readers were likely to check out steadily for years to come, a library might purchase a handful of expensive perpetual licenses. With a flashy best-seller, which could be expected to lose steam over time, the library might buy a large number of cheaper licenses that would expire relatively quickly."
At least perpetual licenses are an option.
Edit: I was wrong, it's lower than 100. From the article:
> In 2011, HarperCollins introduced a new lending model that was capped at twenty-six checkouts, after which a library would need to purchase the book again.