Haven't tried it so I don't know. I think you can download books from your public library but not sure.
That is true. Amazon Kindles can get books from the public library via "Overdrive" or whatever it's called. But it requires a little legerdemain and you cannot surf your public library's e-books directly, only through the website of the library and then you "pick up" the book you rented from a link provided by Amazon on its website. Also there's a finite number of copies available, shared with the whole State of Maryland.
I must say one thing about e-Readers: they save shelf space! A ton of it!!! I have bought books for Kindle, like a whole bunch, and I would have needed another huge bookcase to accommodate them if I had bought the hard copies.
Great thing is that sometimes I do read more quicky on my Kindle than a print version, no need to hold the book open, lose your place, etc.; however if there are maps and stuff you need to backtrack to, it's not as good as having a physical copy of the book. Like the maps from
The Lord of the Rings or a book I was reading on ancient Iraq which had copious maps and picture inserts.
The down side to a Kindle, is some eBooks are expensive, when I do not think they really have to be. LOTR is $18, Amazon says "Price set by publisher" whereas other books fluctuate in price. I have started to buy some hard copies at a used bookstore. I got a great copy of
The First Man in Rome, in hardcover, at a used bookstore for $7; I would have had to pay $17 for the Kindle copy.