San Antonio is turning the page on the future of libraries and Levar Burton’s worst nightmare is about to come true. The city’s newest library, BiblioTech, is set to open this fall as a completely bookless library. Whaaa? The library is the brainchild of Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who was inspired after reading Steve Jobs’ biography (and perhaps from watching this episode of Community). While several colleges have implemented bookless libraries, including Stanford, the concept is still new and somewhat untested.

The facility will consist of 100 e-readers, which will be loaned out for two-week periods, after which the device will shut off, so as to discourage theft. In addition, the library will provide 50 computer stations, 25 laptops, and 25 tablets for visitors to use on-site.

The idea of a bookless library may sound unappealing to many, especially those who prefer the feel of an aged book and the smell of its pages over the sleekness of a modern device, but Wolff is confident that the library will be a success and believes it’s a necessary step in the future of the way we gather information, saying:

“The ever changing landscape of technology means that literacy is no longer about picking up a physical book and being able to comprehend the words; technology is changing the way we read, learn and thrive as citizens of the 21st century.”

When BiblioTech opens it will provide its members with roughly 10,000 titles as well as thousands of classics. However, going bookless will come with one major drawback. Most publishers are hesitate to digitally license their books to libraries, and because of this, many recent best-sellers could be unavailable to the library’s visitors.

It’s still unclear as to whether or not Wolff’s endeavor will prove successful, but in an age when many newspapers are downsizing to three print editions per week, and magazines are beginning to shift content entirely online , this may very well become the future of literature as we know it.

-DP

(photo credit: Bexar County Commissioners Court)