Texas Gets a BiblioTech

No it is not some high tech baby bib but a very special library - a bookless library.   

By the fall of 2013,  San Antonio's Bexar County library will be the country's first book-less public library.  Well, paper books that is - the library or biblioTech will contain only e-books.  

The 4,989 square-foot space will be given over to rows of computer terminals, with which the library will augment with 100 e-readers for onsite and outside rentals.  The plan then is to provide 50 e-readers for children, 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets on site.

 Bexar County is still waffling on who will provide the e-readers and associated equipment.  

read complete article here 

Asimov would roll over in his grave.....

I was reading in Boing Boing that in 1971 a new library in Troy, MI., was just being opened. In celebration of the event Isaac Asimov along with others, wrote an open letter to the new patrons (including the children) who would soon be frequenting it. This is what Dr. Asimov'http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifs letter had to say:

"Congratulations on the new library, because it isn't just a library. It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the Universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you---and most of all, a gateway, to a better and happier and more useful life."

Words of hope to a brave new world.

Rumor has it that the Troy library is likely to close soon due in part to budget cut backs....

complete Boing Boing article

Bradbury prefers library over internet

Ray Bradbury, hands down - master craftsman of the speculative fiction genre, has a sore spot, it would appear. To quote Mr Bradbury “The Internet is a big distraction,”. That is a curious statement from someone accustomed to looking into the future and understanding the impact the Internet / Web has, and will have. But not really surprising is Bradbury's passion for the public library.

From the article:

• “Libraries raised me,” Mr. Bradbury said. “I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.”

But the internet?:

• “It’s distracting, It’s meaningless; it’s not real. It’s in the air somewhere.”

Due to a rapid decline in the economy and a sharp decline in property taxes, many libraries find themselves in financial trouble. And to say the least, he find this disconcerting.

Read the full article to find out what steps he is taking to secure the health of the library system