Preparations are in full swing for the early-September launch of Bexar County BiblioTech, the nation's first all-digital public library system.

With construction underway at 3505 Pleasanton Road, the library now has state credentials, a head librarian and branch manager, and a pending order for nearly $179,000 in Apple computer products.

Accreditation by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, announced last week, will enable BiblioTech to access state and federal library programs, officials said. Through the state's TexShare program, BiblioTech can tap into $49 million worth of subscription databases shared by nearly 700 public and academic libraries in Texas. The federal E-Rate program grants discounts for telecommunication and Internet services.

The library system will start with a collection of 10,000 e-book titles, 500 e-readers, 100 preloaded enhanced e-readers for children, 48 desktop computer stations; and 10 laptops and 40 tablets for internal circulation.

Registered users will be able to read titles at the South Side library or remotely via their own computers or mobile devices.

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While universities and some public library systems maintain digital book collections, BiblioTech is the first system to start from scratch without paper books.

In March, 3M Cloud Library was selected as the e-book provider. Last week, the Commissioners Court cut a check for $178,966 to Apple Inc. for iPads, iMacs and MacBooks. When envisioned, County Judge Nelson Wolff said, he hoped the library would resemble an Apple store.

Also last week, the court was introduced to BiblioTech's leadership duo. The head librarian is Ashley J. Eklof, who was trained at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and most recently worked for Whitefish Bay School District in Wisconsin.

“One of her passions is increasing access to technology and information,” County Manager David Smith said.

“You're about to embark on an adventure that's not been done anywhere in the United States, probably anywhere in the world,” Wolff told Eklof. “You've got a good team.”

“We're going to build something for the kids of the South Side of San Antonio that will enhance their learning like no other place in the country,” Wolff said.

Branch manager Catarina I. Velásquez, a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, previously served as program director of Baptist Child and Family Service's Guadalupe Street Coffee. The 5,000-square-foot BiblioTech will include a coffee shop.

jgonzalez@express-news.net
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