GoLibrary

A Library-A-Go-Go machine at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station and transit hub in California

GoLibrary or Library-a-Go-Go (Swedish: Bokomaten) is a book lending vending machine used by libraries in Sweden and the U.S. state of California.[1][2][3][4] The Contra Costa Library was the body that first brought these machines to the United States.[5][6]

History

External image
image icon A young woman holding a book next to a bokomaten machine in Sweden

The machines were developed by the Swedish company Distec and have been used in Stockholm for several years.[7] They were introduced in California and was first used on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system at its Pittsburg/Bay Point, El Cerrito del Norte, and Millbrae Stations.[1][2][3][4] The Pittsburg and El Cerrito machines are operated by the Contra Costa Public Library System.[1][2][3] That library also has a machine at Sandy Cove Shopping Center in Discovery Bay, California, a town without a local library.[1][2][3][8] The machine in Millbrae is operated by the Peninsula Library System.[1][2][4]

The Yuba County Library, which has only one outlet and a bookmobile, plans to add a GoLibrary machine as well.[1] There are also initiatives that adopted the GoLibrary framework but using the virtual platform such as the project launched by the national library of Singapore.[9] A similar trend was introduced in Denmark but it involves live books and local experts that can be "checked out" for 30 minutes at a time.[10] The experts can discuss all aspects of a subject matter with individuals or groups.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f In California, a New ATM for Books Debuts. Lynn Blumenstein. Library Journal. 26-02-2008. Retrieved 07-05-2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e The California State Library GoLibrary Project uses automated materials vending to aid underserved populations in new ways Archived 2011-04-18 at the Wayback Machine. Susan Kantor-Horning. Library Journal. 15-08-2009. Retrieved 07-05-2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Library-a-Go-Go comes to El Cerrito del Norte BART Station. Press release. BART. 15-06-2009. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  4. ^ a b c Library book lending machine opens at Millbrae BART Station. Press release. BART. 05-05-2011. Retrieved 07-05-2011.
  5. ^ Contra Costa Library Brings Book Dispensing Machines to U.S. Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine. Cathy E. Sanford. Library Marketing. September October 2008. Vol. 22. Number 5. Page 1. Retrieved 07-05-2011.
  6. ^ "Pioneering Service". Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
  7. ^ Monley, Bruce (2011). "Vending Machine Collection Dispensers in Libraries" (PDF). Queensland Government. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  8. ^ Library-a-Go-Go. Archived 2011-04-23 at the Wayback Machine Contra Costa County Library website. 2011. Retrieved 07-05-2011.
  9. ^ Heaney, Michael (2013). Marketing Library and Information Services II: A Global Outlook. Berlin: IFLA Publications. p. 116. ISBN 9783110280869.
  10. ^ Lushington, Nolan; Rudorf, Wolfgang; Wong, Liliane (2018). Libraries: A Design Manual. Basel: Birkhäuser. p. 19. ISBN 9783034608268.