“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