In a trend that appears to be on the upswing, another US library has opened devoted entirely to digital works. The rationale behind this move by Florida Polytechnic University is that students will have access to a greater range of ebooks (about 135,000, with provisions to add any book a student requests) than physical titles.
The new university offers courses exclusively in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and Miller said that one of its objectives was to “prepare students for the high-tech workforce by giving them hands-on experience with advanced technology”.
A local professor, Kathleen McCook, commented:
It’s just not going to give people the serendipitous experience of walking though shelves of books – a tremendous rite of passage.
On the other hand, digital libraries open a range of experience and provide resources to communities and students that otherwise might not be available. As we reported last January, San Antonio welcomed the Bexar Country Digital Library into its borders recently, providing free access to local residents and a variety of viewing devices.
Digital libraries are bound to be controversial and they are still rare, but ebooks are here to stay and whatever permutations characterize the library of the future, digital works will be an important part of the mix.