The Bookless Library

By Betty Liu

In September of 2013, residents of Bexar County celebrated the opening of the BiblioTech Library. This new facility is completely digital, offering over 10,000 titles.1. facility:（特定用途的）设施title: 书，出版物。The library also offers 600 e-readers, 48 computer stations, as well as laptops and tablets. The BiblioTech Library is one of the first libraries in America to go completely digital and perhaps it will lead the way for others to follow.

To check out a book in this digital library, patrons2. patron: 顾客。link their library card to the 3M Cloud Library App. Through this, they can browse through the library catalogue and check out a total of five books at any given time. When the books are due3. due: 到期的。, they are automatically removed from the e-reader. Patrons can also check out e-readers, which have a 14 day check-out period. Some e-readers are classi fied as children’s e-readers and they come with 100 picture books already downloaded. BibloTech also offers free tablets, laptops, and computers which can be used within the library.

Libraries all over the country are making the change from print to digital.Where libraries used to be dominated by the presence of books, they are now turning into places for people to collaborate.4. 以前图书馆里摆满了书籍，现在则变成人们互相协作的场所。BibloTech offers study rooms and lounge areas where people can work together and other libraries are also in on the trend5. on the trend: 追赶潮流。. For example, Chicago Public Library offers a program called YOUmedia, which offers space for teens to create digital content such as podcasts6. podcast: 播客，是数字广播的一种。and video games. Libraries in other areas such as the District of Columbia and Columbus, Ohio are also condensing their libraries, creating all-digital areas and working space.7. 诸如哥伦比亚特区和俄亥俄州哥伦布市等地的图书馆也在精简纸质图书数量，创建全数字区域和工作区。condense: 压缩，精简。

Despite the move towards digital, BibloTech is currently the only exclusively digital library in the nation. However, the bookless library has been attempted before when Arizona’s Santa Rosa Branch Library went all-digital in 2002. Sadly, this change proved to be far too ahead of its time. At the time, there were no Nooks, Kindles, or iPads and there was a meager selection of e-books available.8. 当时还没有Nook、Kindle或者iPad，可供选择的电子书也非常少。Nook: 由美国最大的图书零售企业Barnes &Noble公司发布的电子书阅读器；Kindle: 由Amazon设计和销售的电子书阅读器。Within a few years, the library began providing printed materials along with the digital materials due to requests from the library members. Today, with technology being so integrated into our lives,the idea of a digital only library seems less radical.9. 如今，随着技术越来越多地融入我们的生活，全数字化图书馆已不再是天方夜谭。integrate: 融入，结合；radical: 激进的，极端的。There are many Americans who regularly use e-readers and the number of books available in digital format has increased drastically.

随着科技的发展，数字化浪潮已经席卷各个领域。图书馆就是数字化的最佳体现：纸质图书所占比例正逐渐下降，取而代之的是数字化图书。也许再过几十年纸质图书就会完全被数字化图书取代，到时候你会不会怀念纸质图书拿在手里的质感和油墨味道呢？

Libraries are in the middle of a great change. Besides the shift from print to digital, the focus of libraries has begun to shift as well. Just a decade ago, the main focus of a library was to lend materials to the public, but recently they have been placing more emphasis on programs to help and educate the community. BibloTech offers a variety of programs for children and adults such as computer classes,journalism seminars10. journalism seminar: 新闻研讨会。, and countless others. A library is no longer simply a place to check out books.

Digital libraries are the future. In the next 100 or so years, books in print may be completely supplanted by their digital counterparts.11. supplant: 替代，取代；counterpart: 对手。While this can be much more convenient for libraries and library members, I am still going to be nostalgic12. nostalgic: 怀旧的，依恋往事的。for books in print. I will miss the texture of the pages and the smell of the paper,because those are things I grew to love about reading.

我的名字叫Betty，我生活在美国一个叫做希尔瓦(Sylva)的小镇。我喜欢读书（《哈利·波特》系列是我的最爱）、写作和演奏乐器。 我是学校乐队的成员，负责演奏木琴和鼓，偶尔还弹键盘钢琴。我还热爱科学，尤其喜欢学习生物学。我的博客地址是http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/2671967925。欢迎大家和我一起交流和学习。