


CBSbexar2Carmela and Ed Hernandez and their children don't exist.


The Hernandezes live in Bexar County, Texas, just outside San Antonio, one of America's fastest-growing cities and itself part of the county. The CBS Evening News recently ran a segment on Bexar BiblioTech, the first all-digital public library system in the U.S. Click here to watch it.

Both Carmela and Ed are Hispanics, one of America's largest minority groups--in fact, three-fifths of San Antonio's population. Carmela, 25, works as in the stockroom of a small medical supply company, while Ed, 27, is a pumper at a gas station and a part-time cook at a fast-food restaurant. Jennifer, 6, is a first grader, and a little brother, Al, is two years younger. Carmela has taken courses at a community college; her husband has only a high school education. Their parents,  Mexican born, did not go past the ninth grade and still cannot speak English as fluently as they would like.



Part Three of this series Wednesday will propose an action plan for librarians and local, state, and federal officials to create and arrange for financing of two national digital library systems to help the Hernandez family and others. This isn't just a Texas crisis or one for minority and low-income people. Fairfax County, VA, among America's richest counties and predominantly nonHispanic white despite many Asian and Latino enclaves, was spending a mere $2.92 per capita in FY 2010 on public library books and other content. That's even less than our pathetic national average at the time of $4.22, as reported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.



But how can we stock BiblioTeches and digital public library branches with enough e-books and other content, especially items  matching patrons' individual interests? BiblioTech's collection of 10,000 titles is just a speck of the size of Amazon's inventory. And don't say, "Well, just let the Hernandezes buy from Amazon and other bookstores on and offline." Between rent and groceries and and transportation and medical bills and debt payments, the family has little left for nonessentials.


An upper-middle-class white woman in Fairfax County warns me that many like her won't be able to relate to the Hernandez example. So be it. That's part of the problem. All too often, some public  libraries go for the low-hanging fruit, the affluent audience segments least in need of their services. Just remember that well-run national digital library systems could benefit the people of Bethesda and Beverly Hills, too--not just directly, but also by way of a smarter workforce to help pay for retirement benefits of the present and future elderly of all races and socioeconomic groups. In that sense, we all need first-class libraries, both physical and digital, both traditional and nontraditional like BiblioTech.



Carmela's overworked teachers could not give her the one-to-one attention she craved. She dropped out of community college because she lacked time for both her regular courses and remedial work--challenges aggravated by obesity and related medical issues such as diabetes, as well as her motherly duties.

Worn out from her stockroom labors, Carmel can barely manage to pick up her kids from her parents and cook dinner, before flopping down on the couch in front of her flat-screen television to enjoy her reality shows, soap operas, and vampire programs when her husband isn't watching sports and crime shows. The TV is an economy model from WalMart, and Carmela and Ed are still paying it off.

How the public national digital library system connects Carmela with her local librarians--and books and other patrons

One night Carmela's favorite vampire series runs a public service announcement from the national digital public library system--a catchy commercial made and promoted with financing from the endowment.


"Love hot sexy vampire romance?" purrs the female announcer on Carmela's TV.  "Get it for free from your local public library. Check out paper books in person. Or borrow an e-book reader or enjoy the blood-letting on your own cellphone. Gain new computer and parenting skills, too. And make new friends while you're at it. "




But the BiblioTech woman understands the hassles here: "You're a great candidate for e-reading. We're even giving away tablet computers for people who qualify." It's true. Carmela isn't among the poorest of the poor, but the librarian is empowered to make her an exception due to chronic health problems. The taxpayers and her insurance company will come out ahead. Once in Carmela's hands, the tablet can be a gateway not only to services from the library but also from other county agencies, including health- and parenting-related ones. BiblioTech started just loaning out e-readers and tablets. But the costs have come down so much by 2020  that in some cases it's actually more cost-effective to give them away.


The business and technical details

Books are a snap to enjoy. Carmela thinks she's getting them directly from the Bexar County's digital library system, judging from the logo on her screen, but actually they are coming from a number of far-off servers--even the titles that BiblioTech obtains on its own.

E-books make more business sense than ever to libraries by the year 2020. Federal and state laws now prohibit publishers from overcharging libraries for digital titles or depriving them of electronic editions in the first place. Besides, libraries enjoy far more purchasing leverage as a result of the endowment.  Thanks to this volume and libraries' aggressive promotion of reading, though, publishers fare better than ever.



But what are the nuts and bolts of actually paying for Carmela's books? The endowment can't singlehandedly do this on its own. But much of the library money directed for paper books now goes for the electronic kind, in the form of fees from Carmela's library to the national digital public library system. As for more traditional systems, librarians have worried about paying for both e-books and paper books. The endowment at least eases the transition.


Carmela at this point cannot afford to buy many books. But by way of a check-off on the Hernandez family's federal tax form--when they are ready--they can participate in a low-cost subscription plan, free to the poorest of the poor. They can also sign up in other ways.




Carmela's tablet is actually far more than an e-book reader, and it's customized for library use. Just by tapping a finger on easy-to-understand icons and text, she can go to Web sites addressing her health needs and others and enjoy entertaining and informative videos.



No instant miracles happen. Carmela isn't reincarnated overnight as a human dynamo. But with medical and nutritional guidance from librarians and others--including those experts working for a national digital reference service augmenting local services--she gradually grows more energetic and fit in general. Salads and apples replace junk food. The library also offers tasty recipes of easy-to-fix Hispanic favorites with less fat and sodium. Carmela and Ed acquire the habit of taking their children on weekend strolls. Waistlines shrink. Pounds melt away. Librarians and others from public and nonprofits work closely together to help the Hernandez family. A holistic approach reflects the links between healthy bodies and the ability to learn. Young Jennifer's grades improve when Carmela follows up on a juvenile librarian's suggestion to have her children's eyes and ears tested.

Through mental health material distributed through the library system, Carmela also learns about the signs of depression, recognizes them in Ed and participates with him to counseling sessions, both in person and virtual.

The family literacy and book club angles


One day Carmela's favorite librarian at BiblioTech pops up on her chat screen and asks, "How'd you like to help lead a book club discussion of Dracula?" Carmela is flattered. No one outside her family has ever, ever looked up to her for leadership on anything to do with books or reading.

"But," she protests, "I'm not an expert."

"No one's expecting you to be one," the librarian says. "I'll be right with you, filling in the gaps. Anyway, I can pass on some books to help you prepare."




Still, Carmela benefitted because the public and academic systems were separate. Had there been just one system, elite academics would have been in charge. They would have been less likely to launch the expensive promotional campaign that turned Carmela's life around. Remember that crazy public service announcement on the vampire show? She also came out ahead because the national digital library endowment could help pay--among other things--for public libraries to engage in outreach of all kinds. The increased reliance on electronic material without distractions such as shelving meant that librarians had more time for contact with Carmela and other patrons, as well as local outreach efforts. The local and national outreach campaigns have reinforced each other.

Will every American in Carmela's place take advantage of the offerings of the two national digital library systems to the extent that she has? Of course not. Still, it is important she and her family and others like them have their chance. Yes, that will require money--billions.


Note: This is a "first edition." Send typo reports and other glitch-sightings and suggestions to And if any Bexar Countians believe that I should add or change any details--remember, I'm back East and am not an expert on the San Antonio area--I'd encourage them to check in with me.
