Libraries move to digital platforms

Many professionals, from medical staffers to employees in the finance sector, have been able to eliminate paper use and improve enterprise content management with digital systems. However, they're not alone – surprisingly enough, even libraries are starting to go paperless. 

According to a recent report from Tech2, Texas' Bexar County plans to open up a paperless library system by the end of the year. The new location is called BiblioTech, and when it opens its doors patrons will find that there are no physical copies of books lining the shelves. Instead, the library will house 100 e-readers that will be available to borrowers. Each e-reader will come with 10,000 books, giving bibliophiles access to far more literature than renting one book at a time.

In addition, Tech2 reported that readers who can't make it to the library itself will have the option to access the catalog from their home computers, allowing the library to reach approximately 1.7 million people. BiblioTech will supplement the existing library system in the county, which means that citizens will still be able to borrow physical editions of books at other branches throughout the area. 

The San Antonio Express-News reported that Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who led the paperless library project, is an avid reader with a private collection that houses more than 1,000 first-edition books. Still, Wolff believed that introducing a paperless library would enhance the city's existing branches. He said that moving to a paperless will help the library improve information management and bring the institution into the digital age.

"We wanted to find a low-cost, effective way to bring reading and learning to the county and also focus on the change in the world of technology," Wolff told the newspaper. "It will help people learn."

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