[LIS-Forum] This is the first public library without any books

[Jayadev P Hiremath]

 <http://grist.org/list/new-york-city-is-using-its-food-waste-to-create-heat/>

 By Holly Richmond <http://grist.org/author/holly-richmond/>
[image: bibliotech]Bexar BiblioTech<https://www.facebook.com/BexarBibliotech>

The end is near! Page-sniffers, mourn the loss of our dog-eared friends! I
MEAN … HURRAH for a library that saves trees! (Sob.)

BiblioTech <http://bexarbibliotech.org/> is an all-digital public library
on the south side of San Antonio that
offers<http://bexarbibliotech.org/about-biblio-tech>10,000 titles on
600 e-readers, 25 iPads, and 25 laptops. The library also
includes 50 desktop computers and 100 Nook tablets preloaded with
children’s books — just no physical books. (Patrons can read the library’s
digital books on their own tablets as well.) Internet access and kids’
storytime are other, more familiar perks.
[image: bibliotech-interior]Bexar
BiblioTech<https://www.facebook.com/BexarBibliotech>

Sounds pretty green, right? Without the need for vast book storage space,
the $2.3 million library can be way smaller than traditional libraries. At
fewer than 5,000 square feet, BiblioTech’s smaller space means less heat
and light and thus less pollution. As sage Umbra once
wrote<http://grist.org/article/in-a-bind/>
:

It hurts to say it, but e-books are looking like a good option, even
perhaps the better option. Ouch …

There are caveats as usual, but I am forced to report the general
conclusion that e-books produce less CO2 emissions and use less water than
conventional newspapers and books.

According to Ted Genoways’ oft-cited article “The Price of the Paperless
Revolution <http://www.vqronline.org/articles/2010/fall/genoways-paperless/>,”
it takes roughly the same amount of energy and materials to make an
e-reader as it does 50 books. So for BiblioTech to break even, energy-wise,
patrons would need to read 50 books on each tablet. With 10,000 library
users registered in its first three months, this probably won’t be an issue.

The green verdict will also depend on how often the library replaces its
gadgets (obviously less often is greener, but planned obsolescence might
not allow for that). And what about the mineral mining involved in making
e-readers, and the e-waste once they’ve been discarded? Say what you will
about books, but at least they’re semi-compostable.
 Source

   - San Antonio library offers glimpse of bookless
future<http://www.statesman.com/news/news/san-antonio-library-offers-glimpse-of-bookless-fut/ncb7R/>,
   Associated Press

 Holly Richmond
-- 

Thanks and regards.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jayadev P. Hiremath
University Librarian
     Karnataka State Law University
                   Navanagar, Hubli - 580 001

Tel :   +91 836 2222901
Fax :  +91 836 2323151
Mob.  +91 9886080147
Website    :  http://www.kslu.ac.in/
E-mail      :  jayadevh at hotmail.com
LinkedIn  :  http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jayadev-p-hiremath/44/12a/2a0

Facebook  : http://www.facebook.com/people/Jayadev-P-Hiremath/603802230

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