BOOKLESS IN BEXAR: Edu-movers and shakers in Texas can come from the most unexpected of places and positions. Judge Nelson Wolff of Bexar County is on a mission to bring a bookless library to San Antonio's Southside community. Details are still be sorted out, but the county is looking to spend $250K for the library's first 10,000 titles. There will also be 100 eReaders available for checkout on location, which is currently an empty building owned by the county.
The idea of a bookless library isn't new. Many systems across the country offer digital selections to their patrons. Small-scale operations in California and Arizona are having mixed results. But the Bexar County "BiblioTech" aims to grow into an entire system of bookless branches, making it the first of its kind. Wolff hopes the library system will not only bring open knowledge to residents in unincorporated, outlying areas but also reduce the county's dependence on San Antonio's city system which comes at an annual cost of $3.7M.
