A Library With No Books? Hmm . . . . .

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How would you feel if you walked into your local public library and instead of hundreds of shelves laden with all kinds of exciting books, you encountered a modern interior that resembles an Apple store complete with aisles of computers and other electronic gadgets? That, is exactly the vision Nelson Wolff has for BiblioTech, a new kind of public library that is scheduled to open in San Antonio's Bexar County, in fall 2013.

The Texas judge says that while he loves physical books, he believes that it is time to bring the library system in the direction in which the world is rapidly heading - E-books!

So while the library will not have any physical books, it will have over 10,000 e-titles for patrons to browse through and even download onto their own e-readers. For those that do not yet have access to an iPad, Nook, Kindle or other e-reading device, there will be a total of 150 e-readers available to borrow, 50 of which, will be reserved for kids! In addition, the library will also feature 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets for people to enjoy, whilst there.

The number of books available will be added to annually, so that one day, the book selection at this hi-tech version can be as robust as the one found in a traditional library.

This is not the first time a complete public e-library has been considered. In 2002, Arizona's Tucson-Pima Public Library System was the first to open a small book-less branch - However, it was located in an area where most people did not have access to computers and after repeated requests from locals, the library succumbed and added physical books.

In 2011, the city of Newport Beach in California, tried to transform its existing library into a book-less one - But the public did not take it too well and the officials ultimately abandoned the idea. The one place it seems to be working really well is the University of Texas in Austin, where the students love having a library that contains only e-titles.

So are people ready for a book-less library? Only time will tell. But if it does work, the judge will be able to open similar libraries in many more locations in the county than he otherwise could - That's because thanks to smaller real-estate requirements, the cost of opening one is much lower than that for a normal library. What do you think of this idea? Would you be thrilled or upset if your local library decided to go the e-route? Be sure to let us know, by adding your comments below!

Resources: engadget.com,mysanantonio.com, gizmag.com

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759 Comments
  • baseball14
    baseball14over 4 years
    its called a library for a reason
    • hermionelove
      hermioneloveover 4 years
      I would be so upset. i love reading the old fashion way. plus what hapends if there is no WiFi or all the computers are taking.plus computers are more expensive
    • animereina2021
      animereina2021over 4 years
      I like how they thought of this, but in my opinion wouldn't be the best thing to do... It is more healthier to read a book because looking at screens for too long can dry out your eyes😐 And also, sitting too long isn't great for you. Especially when you are not the public type of person and would prefer to actually read a book peacefully at home.
      • animereina2021
        animereina2021over 4 years
        And also, what is a library without books? 😕 Might as well call it a tech-library👍 I really do like the way they are taking technology and putting it into libraries... I guess it is just to make it seem more fun to read, but still not healthy😵
        • hermionelove
          hermioneloveover 4 years
          I totally agree with you animereina25. I MEAN WHAT IS A LIBRARY WITHOUT BOOKS!!😡😡😡
          • effie302
            effie302over 4 years
            Exactly plus there could be a lot of people out there that have not been to an actual public library ! You guys get what I’m trying to say, right?
      • patches2009
        patches2009over 4 years
        an E book would be cool
        • eliserdbreth
          eliserdbrethalmost 5 years
          I love books and it's hard to read on E-books
        • mitten5about 5 years
          oh this is weird and cool
          • TheFortniteManover 5 years
            I like the idea but I don't want them to take away the normal books!
            • Mittens5over 5 years
              I don't like this idea
              • Mittens5over 5 years
                I don't like this idea you can read books on line all the time now
                • x man over 5 years
                  wow now i think internet is taking over the world