Toronto library to roll out book-lending machine at Union Station

The move is a novel idea aimed at making the library more accessible to Torontonians and broadening the number of users, which sits around 18.5 million annually.

“You aren’t expecting a library presence in Union Station, so it will be a convenient way for commuters to access library content,” said Ana-Maria Critchley, the library’s manager of stakeholder relations.

Because the organization is still seeking vendors to take on the project and working with stakeholders at Union Station to choose a spot for it, she said the machine’s exact functions have yet to be determined.

However, a library report earlier this year said initial planning for the kiosk “focussed on access to high demand books and DVDs,” but “may be adjusted to incorporate downloading e-books.”

Some of those functions are already available in Ottawa, Edmonton and major cities in the U.S. and Europe, where book-lending machines are available 24/7, allowing readers with busy schedules to scoop up books without having to contend with traditional library hours.

Some even offer lockers where readers can pick up items they have placed on hold.

Several cities have strategically placed kiosks at transit hubs so readers can borrow books for the short period of time they spend waiting for a subway or bus.

In Toronto, Critchley said, positioning the kiosk at a busy commuter station will help the library cater to those who live in surrounding areas, who are eligible for Toronto library cards if they work or go to school in the city.

A report from earlier this year said that if the Union Station machine is well received, others could follow at high-traffic community locations, Eglinton Crosstown stations and library lobbies.

The report placed the cost for a single kiosk at about $200,000, but acknowledged that “There may be ongoing staffing costs associated with kiosks if physical library materials are circulated.” The machine will be funded by the city, according to the report.

LIBRARY KIOSKS AROUND THE CONTINENT

Contra Costa County, USA: The San Francisco Bay area rolled out Library-a-Go-Go, automated book dispensing machines, at three transit stations in 2008. Each is outfitted with a touch screen that allows users to select books to borrow from roughly 300 bestsellers, non-fiction reads and children’s books. Unfortunately, the machines were closed for at least a year because of the difficulty associated with getting replacement parts from a supplier in Italy.

Ottawa: When the library system installed its two kiosks in 2010, they were touted to be the first of their kind in Canada. The vending-machine style kiosks — one for children and another for adults — allow readers to borrow books, pick them up from adjacent lockers or return them. The kiosks are restocked about three times a week and hold almost 500 items combined.

Vaughan: Rather than dispense books, Vaughan’s Pleasant Ridge library has a machine that offers iPads and laptops to users. The kiosks are available only when the library is open.

Fullerton, Calif.:

Originally located in an isolated spot at an Orange County train station, Fullerton Public Library’s book kiosk was moved to just outside the branch to catch more foot traffic. It has a drop box for returns and a selection of about 500 books. The system is also programmed so that users owing more than $5 on their library cards are unable to check out books from the kiosk.