Washington, Jan. 14 (ANI): Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff is set to announce plans to launch the nation's first bookless public library system.
Inspired while reading Apple founder Steve Jobs' biography, Wolff said he envisionsed several bookless libraries around the county, including in far-flung suburbs.
Wolff said that it was not a replacement for the (city) library system, but an enhancement.
According to San Antonio Express, the University of Texas at San Antonio is a pioneer among academic institutions with bookless collections and technical libraries.
Many cities, including San Antonio, offer downloadable books and other digitized information along with their paper volumes.
But no entire public library system is bookless, and unlike others, Bexar County's BiblioTech library system won't have a legacy of paper.
Wolff said that it'll be designed for, not adapted to, the digital age, Wolff said.
San Antonio is considering a bookless library for the far North Side, using funds set aside for District 9 in the 2012 bond issue.
Newport Beach, California, decided in 2011 to make its original library bookless, but withdrew the plans amid public outcry.
Tucson-Pima Public Library System in Arizona opened a small bookless branch in 2002 in a neighborhood where residents were largely without computer access.
But about five years ago, the system added books at the community's request, spokeswoman Kenya Johnson said.
According to the report, despite conveniences, bookless libraries often confront copyright issues. Even so, the county has "the right idea," Maloney said, because it's planning to have personnel available to help library users with homework or other research.
Wolff on Tuesday will ask Commissioners Court to approve several measures to launch BiblioTech, a play on the Spanish word for library - biblioteca.
Commissioners will decide whether to seek a contractor to complete the design of the library and another to provide e-book titles; hire staff; and create a seven-member advisory board, the report said.
According to the report, at least 250,000 dollars will be needed to gain access to the first 10,000 book titles, Wolff said. (ANI)
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