Boston debuts a digital pop-up libraries pilot program at 20 bus stops
By Aya Elamroussi, CNN
(CNN) — Boston is making reading on-the-go more accessible through a pilot program that will allow riders to access digital content from audiobooks to newspapers at some bus stops across the city – no library card required.
The program – dubbed “Browse, Borrow, Board” – gives riders access to books, magazines and other material through QR code links, and doesn’t need an app, according to a news release from the mayor’s office.
“This pilot program builds on our efforts to make public transportation more enjoyable, while also connecting our residents to the resources the Boston Public Library already offers,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in the news release.
The decals containing the QR codes can be found this week on sidewalks at 20 bus stops as well as on bus paths owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority throughout the city.
The QR codes direct scanners to the digital pop-up library website, and the city has also released a map of where they’re located. The decals are accessible through the end of August, the news release noted.
The program was launched after the city conducted a survey about public transit last year and found that bus riders expressed high interested in accessing the Boston Public Library digitally on commutes, according to Maddie Webster, a program manager at the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics.
Five titles may be checked out at a time for a two-week period. After two weeks, patrons can rescan the QR code to register again and checkout more materials.
“We share in the value that knowledge and transportation could both be ‘Free to All.’ This opportunity connects public library and public transit offerings around learning and movement in our city,” said David Leonard, Boston Public Library president.
The-CNN-Wire
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