No Book Library? BiblioTech is Coming

[HomeInMyShoes]

No Book Library? BiblioTech is Coming

.....A book-less library.

It sounds like an oxymoron, but come the fall of 2013, San Antonio's Bexar County is going to be home to the BiblioTech, the country's first book-less public library. Of course, there will be books -- just e-books, not physical books.

Part of me thinks awesome, part of me thinks fail. I'm not sure which side I'm more on.

[DianNC]

The link didn't work for me, but my initial reaction is that it's pretty cool. Doesn't necessarily have to mean that a bookless library has to 'replace' a traditional library (one with actual books) -- just an addition for those of us that prefer ebooks.

[DianNC]

Here's a link with photos! (Interior to be designed by Apple)...

LINK

[jersysman]

I'm torn between this. Would that mean that they would have a better selection of ebooks? then I think, what of all the people that do not have an ereader? Would that keep books out of someone's hand? Perish the thought!

[Ripplinger]

Here's a good link to the original story: Bibiotech at ABC News.

And does sound very interesting as another option to your own public library.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by DianNC

The link didn't work for me, but my initial reaction is that it's pretty cool. Doesn't necessarily have to mean that a bookless library has to 'replace' a traditional library (one with actual books) -- just an addition for those of us that prefer ebooks.

Apologies, I had a stray character in the bbcode. It should be good now.

[HomeInMyShoes]

Originally Posted by jersysman

I'm torn between this. Would that mean that they would have a better selection of ebooks? then I think, what of all the people that do not have an ereader? Would that keep books out of someone's hand? Perish the thought!

They did say they would have e-readers available.

[tubemonkey]

It's nice, but personally I don't care if libraries have paper books or not. I never visit them anyway and conduct all of my library business online.

[DianNC]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's nice, but personally I don't care if libraries have paper books or not. I never visit them anyway and conduct all of my library business online.

Bananas are a very low-carbon food. Your carbon footprint must be near zero!

[medard]

I'd like to see such a library near a museum or near the opera house, so that you could get a drink, surf the web, or download a new digital book there while you're waiting for some friends. Or while you're meeting some strangers from the internet..

Doing library stuff at home is a bit boring after some time. At least for me.

San Antonio must be behind the times because, outside of the lending privileges on hardware and calling it a library, places like this have existed for a long time.

(Oh, and it was inspired by Apple, not designed by Apple.)

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's nice, but personally I don't care if libraries have paper books or not. I never visit them anyway and conduct all of my library business online.

Yes. That they even have an open public facility is what surprised me. My immediate thought was that it would be completely virtual. I guess it might be useful to have a public facility for those without access to a computer otherwise. But still.....

[Lynx-lynx]

I like the concept of e-libraries, and would like to see them as a normal and contiguous part of existing libraries.

In my district there is one main library and a number of smaller branch libraries at other locations within the district, as well as a home lending service where books, tapes, cd's, dvd's are taken to those who can't physically access the library themselves (think elderly, infirm etc)

However, there are currently very few ebooks, and those that are available have only one copy with no multiple borrower license - so can only be borrowed one copy at a time, ridiculous.

I would like to see my government enter into the digital books debate and determine that all paper books that are published and available in Australia (after a certain date) must have an accompanying ebook format, and where that paper book is available as a library book then so must the ebook be available to the library.

Yes, I know that means big changes and lots of discussions with publishers and others, but that's the business of government - to have those discussions and get things done.

There is no obvious (logical even) reason to me why a paper book should not have an ebook copy made simultaneously. I don't mean that they must be released simultaneously to the general public, but if the library gets the paper book then the library also gets the ebook.

Well, that's my 2 cents worth ....

[Noetic_Hatter]

Remembering my student days a million and a half years ago and lugging home 15 or 20 books for a paper I was researching, it would sure be nice to have the ebook option.

But libraries, especially at colleges, have a kind of comforting-though-creepy silence and old book smell that will be lost to all the new generations with their Enterprise-D libraries and classrooms.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Noetic_Hatter

But libraries, especially at colleges, have a kind of comforting-though-creepy silence and old book smell that will be lost to all the new generations with their Enterprise-D libraries and classrooms.

They can always spray their ereaders with new book smell