That's so weird - do people really think other people have shelves of books to "impress" people? I always had them out so my friends could borrow! Public libraries always suck in the SF&F section, or the esoteric section, too.

The problem with ebooks, browsing and loaning could be solved simply: store them on removable flash media (like the original Kindle used to have) and store them on a "book cover" card case. Like a thin CD case, it could be displayed, lent, etc.