Have to disagree on that for non-english books. libgen / z-lib aren't always amazing for those, in my experience. The local library is the other way around, almost no english content, but plenty in my native tongue.

The library also has the current (clickbait-free) print versions of newspapers as e-papers, which the shadow libraries (at least those that I know) have not.

They synergize very well, though. :)

I agree in the case of HN readers, for grandma and grandpa, not so much.

In addition to that, lending ebooks from the public library provides (at least some) income to the e-book authors and editors.