Revolutionary All-Digital Public Library Coming to Texas This Fall

One of the first “bookless” libraries will be opening this fall in the great state of Texas, making the idea of an all-digital public library a reality.

In a small suburb of San Antonio in Bexar County, the $1.5 million library will offer about 100 e-readers that can be loaned out, as well as more than 10,000 digital titles that can be accessed through home computers and digital devices. However, not a single print edition will be anywhere in sight.

“If you want to get an idea what it looks like, go into an Apple store,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who initiated the progressive, new library.

However, some people are not quite ready to say goodbye to that old, familiar printed book, but project coordinator Laura Cole says that the digital format is crucial to delivering books to all of the “explosive” communities around San Antonio.

“For us this was just an obvious solution to a growing problem,” she said. “We’ve had to look to how we provide services to these unincorporated areas. While the city does a beautiful job in providing public libraries, these can only easily be used by people living there.”

Officials in Bexar County say that the new facility will not affect their traditional libraries and booksellers because - there aren’t any.