BiblioTech: The First All-Digital Public Library in U.S. Opens One Week From Today in Bexar County, Texas

Note: We’ve been sharing details about the the library since it was first announced at the very beginning of this year. A roundup of some our posts is included below. One post includes copies of the contracts Bexar County signed with 3M and Polaris.
Bibilotech, the first all-digital public library in the U.S. opens one week from today (September 14, 2014) in Bexar County (San Antonio), Texas. 

The library has been offering library card registration for a few weeks via their web site.
According to the web site, BiblioTech will offer materials from:

• eBooks from 3M Cloud Library (10,000 titles at launch)
• Audiobooks from One-Click Digital
• Language instruction from Mango

The library also offers:

• 500 e-readers (100 pre-loaded enhanced e-readers for children) 
• 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets to use on-site
  

BiblioTech provides access to a large selection of reference and article databases via TexShare from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Sadly, these resources are poorly marked on the library’s web site. They deserve enumeration and explanation not to mention making them easier to find in the first place.
We also hope BiblioTech does better discovering and organizing high-quality open web resources that are often free to access and use. At the moment, only four resources are listed and two of them are listed incorrectly.
The Internet Archive is not part of the Library of Congress and LibriVox is spelled wrong.
An all-digital public library should become a leader in what we’ve called open-web collection development. Actually, we believe all libraries need to make better use of the open web.
While much of the media coverage we’ve seen about BiblioTech has been focused on the library providing access to ebooks we hope the library staff goes out of their way to point out that a digital library and librarians of 2013 and beyond are as much about a variety of electronic/digital resources from mobile apps to 3D printing to open web resources. Plus, librarians have the skills (or should have) to help users navigate the print and digital universe and them digital literacy skills.
We will have more to say about BiblioTech in the coming days and weeks.

UPDATE

“BiblioTech’s debut set this week” (via MySA.com)

Documentation

• BiblioTech Policy and Procedures (Includes Mission Statement)

• Computer and Internet Use Policy

Roundup of Past Coverage

• Bibliotech All-Digital Library Receives Accreditation From Texas State Library and Archives Commission (July 22, 2013)

• Primary Documents: Bexar County, Texas Signs Contracts With 3M and Polaris For BiblioTech All-Digital Library System (April 19, 2013)

• Work Begins On BiblioTech Facility that Will Be Home to First All-Digital (Bookless) Public Library System in U.S. (April 12, 2013)

• Bookless Library (BiblioTech) Receives County Commissioners Approval (January 15, 2013)

• Bexar County Officials Embrace Plan to Open Nation’s First Bookless Public Library System (January 13, 2013)

See Also: Take advantage of the nation’s first all-digital public library system, Bexar BiblioTech (via MySA.com)
See Also: BiblioTech on Twitter
Hat Tip: Thanks to Matt Weaver for his assistance with this post.

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Digital Collections, Interactive Tools, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, Roundup