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San Antonio Launches Bibliotech Library Kiosks at Area Bus Stations

bexar-county-read-ride-bibliotechBexar County Public Library got a lot of press coverage several years ago when it opened its book-less Bibliotech library branch, and now it is taking the show on the road.

The local ABC station and the Rivard Report reported yesterday that VIA Metropolitan Transit, the local buss company, is installing six Bibliotech kiosks in bus stations around San Antonio.

Bexar County and VIA are making it easier than ever to take part in their "Ride & Read" initiative.

There are plenty of advantage to taking public transportation so why not use the time to get into a good book? That’s the message VIA is sending out to its riders in their latest attempt to connect the community.

They’re partnering with Bexar County and their Bibliotech program.

"You don’t have to be the driver and pay attention to the traffic, so a great use of your time is to sit back and read and catch up on things," said Jeffrey Arndt, president and CEO of VIA Metropolitan Transit.

You can see a kiosk in the lead photo, which was taken by Kathryn Boyd-Batstone.

The kiosks are located at VIA’s Downtown Information Center, Centro Plaza, Ellis Alley Transit Center, North Star Transit Center, Medical Center Transit Center, and Crossroads Park & Ride.

 

Anyone who has a Wifi-equipped mobile device can sign up  for a library account and check out ebooks. They will have to provide their name and address but no documentation required.

"We have an e-book collection of e-books and e-audio books of over 37,000 through our cloud library.  However, on our website through our other providers, we have over 100,000 books available to the reader," said Bibliotech administrator Laura Cole.

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Comments


Bob September 27, 2016 um 12:51 pm

What do these kiosks do?? Are they a terminal where you search the library catalog? Then what? Why not just a poster telling people about the books available on the library website?

Nate Hoffelder October 19, 2016 um 5:49 pm

I don’t get it either; you’re right in that there are simpler options.

Perhaps the kiosk vendor is paying kickbacks for the contract?


Pop-Up Library Opens at Baton Rouge Airport | The Digital Reader August 27, 2019 um 5:35 pm

[…] Bibliotech, the digital-first public library system in Bexar county, Texas, has gotten a lot of press attention over the past few years for launching digital "branch" libraries locations such as the county courthouse, a hospital, and local bus stations. […]


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