BiblioTech (Bexar County)

BiblioTech is the first all-digital public library in the United States. It serves residents of Bexar County, Texas. There are four BiblioTech branches and one satellite branch.

For other uses, see BiblioTech (disambiguation).
BiblioTech
BiblioTech South
29.3442°N 98.5049°W / 29.3442; -98.5049
LocationBexar County, Texas, United States
TypePublic library, bookless library
EstablishedSeptember 14, 2013 (2013-09-14)
Other information
DirectorLaura Cole
Websitebexarbibliotech.org

History

The first BiblioTech location opened on September 14, 2013.[1][2] The County-operated library cost $2.3 million (USD) and is located in the underserved south side of San Antonio.[2] San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas and the seventh largest city in the U.S., but ranks 60th in literacy.[2] The library had over 400,000 visitors in its first four years.[2]

BiblioTech's second branch, BiblioTech West, opened in July 2015 on the west side of San Antonio; it also serves the residents of Bexar County.[3] A third branch, on the city's east side, opened in April 2018.[4] Their fourth branch, The Nelson and Tracy Wolff BiblioTech EDU, opened on December 2022 near downtown San Antonio and serves both residents of Bexar County as well as students on the shared campus of Fox Tech, Cast Tech and ALA.[5]

Offerings

The library lends e-readers and digital content rather than physical media.[6][7] BiblioTech lends e-readers to those with a BiblioTech card; about half of the e-readers are on loan at any given time.[2] Each e-reader can hold up to five books. Members with a library card can also download the cloudLibrary app to read eBooks from their personal device (iOS, Android, Windows).[2]

BiblioTech also offers online databases and educational resources,[8] programming,[9] and many touch-screen video tablets.

List of databases

The library arranges for its patrons access to digital content from several providers. Some resources are free of charge to the library, and some require paid subscriptions.[10][11][12]

Title Producer Access
3M Cloud Library 3M Library card
Heritage Quest Cambridge Information Group
Hoopla Midwest Tape LLC
Learning Express Library LearningExpress, LLC
LinkedIn Learning from LinkedIn[13]
Mango Creative Empire, LLC[14]
NewsBank NewsBank, Inc.
Newspaper Archive Heritage Microfilm, Inc.
ProQuest Cambridge Information Group
TEDtalks Sapling Foundation
TexShare Database Collection

Comparison to traditional libraries

All-digital libraries have existed on college campuses for years, but this is the first all-digital public library.[2] The county also saved millions on some expenses, the architecture, and furniture required to store books, as well as the infrastructure to bear the weight of the books.[2] The volumes they offer cost about the same as the physical books.[2]

Some readers prefer nondigital libraries. For critic Jeff Jacoby, BiblioTech's all-digital library model lacks sensory enticements (such as shelves of books) that he believes foster serendipity in information discovery. He also notes the efficiency of printed books and appropriate delivery systems (such as Biblioburro) in some nonurban locales.[15]

See also

References
  1. "About Us". bexarbibliotech.org.
  2. Weber, Paul J. (January 3, 2014). "Nation's first bookless library opens in San Antonio". Dallas Morning News.
  3. Langford, Mark (July 25, 2015). "Bexar County dedicates Westside Dr. Ricardo Romo BiblioTech". University of Texas at San Antonio. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  4. Sullivan, Jeffrey (April 19, 2018). "Bexar County Opens Eastside BiblioTech Location". The Rivard Report. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  5. Torres, Raquel (December 7, 2022). "New BiblioTech library opens as Bexar County continues bid to provide internet access to all". San Antonio Report.
  6. Stern, Joanna (January 14, 2013). "The First Bookless Public Library: Texas to Have BiblioTech". ABC News.
  7. Hidalgo, Jason (January 14, 2013). "San Antonio launching 'bookless' BiblioTech library in fall, places its eggs in digital basket". Engadget.com.
  8. "Resources". BiblioTech.org. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  9. "Calendar". BiblioTech.org. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. "Databases". Bexar County, Texas: BiblioTech. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  11. "How it Works". Bexar County, Texas: BiblioTech. Archived from the original on March 26, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  12. "Resources". Bexar County, Texas: BiblioTech. Archived from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  13. "Lynda.com". LinkedIn. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  14. "Terms and Conditions". Farmington Hills, MI: Mango Languages. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
  15. Jacoby, Jeff (June 17, 2015). "Life without libraries would be unimaginably poorer". Boston Globe.
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