I was only able to read this book because of the Internet Archive. No local libraries carry it, it's out of print and the cheapest secondhand copy is 50 bucks (and that's without factoring in the costs of shipping it across the ocean...). It's so obscure I couldn't even pirate it. And yet, it's also a cult classic by Jessica Amanda Salmonson, a great, but underappreciated author and editor of anthologies of SF/F stories by female authors (I got my profile pic from the cover of one of her anthologies!). It's a damn good 90s horror that I had wanted to read for ages.

I'm well aware that not being able to read a mostly forgotten horror novel isn't the end of the world, but I also know that there are many people in countries that don't have as solid a library system as mine does, who rely on the Internet Archive to access textbooks, academic works and all kinds of learning material. So many important, but niche books will become completely inaccessible to anyone but the people lucky enough to live close to a library carrying it. Which will mostly be people in the global North.

I wasn't very optimistic about IA's chances in court. I know they're going to appeal, but I'm not holding my breath. But if they're forced to stop lending books, they'll be sorely missed. Losing their treasure trove of knowledge will be a huge blow globally.