“A library without books” would be the suggestive payoff of this public library equipped only with digital devices. It’s a $2.4 million library system (with 500.000 private donations). “The facility is equipped with 700 e-readers, 200 enhanced e-readers preloaded for children, 48 iMac desktop computing stations, nine Mac laptops, 40 iPads, four interactive touch screen tables and an X-Box gaming system hooked up to two large screens. The e-book collection is provided by 3M Cloud Library and includes 10,000 titles, with plans for more. The library includes an Internet cafe, children’s learning area, digital research room, a reading commons, group study rooms and a community room. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.” http://bexarbibliotech.org/

Ebook readers are way more portable when it comes to travel, and they can also be a terrific introduction to (interactive) reading. And where even books can be rare, a huge quantity of ebook can travel from one device to another in a matter of minutes.
E-readers: the best way to get the world’s children reading

“Please don’t print the internet” is the title of the petition Justin Swanhart is promoting on Change.org in order to ask the artist to stop encouraging people to “print the internet.” A classic case of how performance can trigger the insurgence of contradictory (and in this case very mislead) feelings. The symbolic crowdsourced act of Goldsmith is filling the space with print exactly when this space should be empty and abstracted. And the sharing of what’s on servers in a common space, without the constrain of screens is another liberating approach (not to mention the Aaron Schwartz constant reference). Maybe a petition directed to MIT would have been more appropriate (and environmentally effective).