Library of the future...

Have you already imagined a library without any physical books...? One can admit that it is not the traditional use of this kind of place!

"America's first-ever book-less library will open in San Antonio's Bexar County in the fall of 2013"

The city of San Antonio (US) will become the precursor of a new trend, by opening a library that will only provide desks, chairs, lamps... kindles, computers and tablets!

Poeple living around this library will then be able to borrow e-readers to bring home for 2 weeks, on which they will have access to database of the library. After these 2 weeks, the e-reader will be de-activated, and the borrower will not be able to use it anymore.

Some limits though, according to the CSMonitor: 

• Some communities are not ready for it yet, and this could involve more staff expenses to help train people get familiar with digital books; 
• A lot of content is not available in a digital format; 
• A library is a meeting point, a social place where people are supposed to gather and discuss about their favourite stories for example; we can wonder whether this digitally-oriented place will connect people better than a traditional library... 

What is your opinion about this new generation of library? "Progressive or pointless*"?

* Best comments on SodaHead: 

"Isn't that like having a restaurant with no food?"

"Isn't a library without books called a "compuer lab"?"

HAHA ;-)

Source: The Daily Geek Show (article in French) - The Christian Science Monitor - SodaHead