Go, Library, Go

a program of the Contra Costa County Library

Planes, trains, buses … Does the thought of being on public transportation without a good book to read fill you with dread? The Contra Costa County library has recently made strides in solving that problem by installing an automated book lending machine at the Pittsburg (CA) BART station. With traffic and commuting being one of the major issues in this county, the library’s attention to transit commuters seems like a smart move.

book lending machine at Pittsburg BART station

The machine at the Pittsburg transit station, made by Swedish company Distek, has been dubbed “Library-a-Go-Go.” The same technology is being rolled out by other California public libraries as well to serve people in remote areas. Three cheers to the Contra Costa County library for being first in the US to try this innovative approach.

Not only that, they’ve inspired me to blog about cool things that libraries are doing to serve their communities in out-of-the-box ways. The main focus will be on public libraries, but may include other libraries too. Is your library doing something unique and innovative to reach out to library users? Let me know about it and you may see it in a future post right here. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.