A rendering of the interior of the BiblioTech library.
Say goodbye to the printed page and hello to a new library with no books. An all-digital "bookless" library is set to open this fall in Texas’ Bexar County. The library will look more like an Apple store and give the community access to 10,000 digital titles. The $1.5 million facility will not house a single printed book, but will offer 150 e-readers on loan that patrons can use in their home. Budget cuts are causing libraries across the country to close.
Is converting them to digital a way to save community libraries? Would you still go to a library that had only e-readers? They can be cheaper and make technology accessible to rural or low income areas but what are we losing by giving up the printed book?
Guests:
Laura Cole, project coordinator for Bexar County and the BiblioTech
Susan Neuman, professor at University of Michigan's school of education and researcher in the field of child literacy