Library Vending Machine

Super cool. It could be a really cost effective way to reach out to underserved areas. And they can be moved, too. If demand in a location changes or it turns out that they're not being used much in a location, you can just load the machine up and move it to another spot. You can't do that if you put in a permanent branch library. The success of red box makes me think this would really work in a lot of places. If borrowing a book was that quick and easy, a lot more people might do more of it. Having to drive across town to the library isn't always as appealing as having a little selection right there on hand.

Plus, it would be really easy to eventually tailor the collection of each machine to meet the special needs and wants of the people that use it most. They could follow the borrowing trends of each location and cater to them with little hassle. In a big library, it's hard to tailor the selection that specifically.

And it might be a good way to occasionally expose people to a good book they might not necessarily have checked out or bought otherwise. Like with redbox, I often give movies a chance that I might not have if I'd had more to choose from. The limited selection has unearthed some cool stuff I'd have never added to my netflix cue on my own or picked up in a video store.

They need a drop box thing attached to them so that you can return books there,too.

I think it might be good in areas that don't have libraries however our library is a place to go and browse, meet people and just enjoy the atmosphere. I woould miss our library. I realize we are very spoiled as we can get any book we want in just a couple of days.