Somerville Public Library Blog

The Somerville Public Library is doing something no other public library has done before.

In a partnership with the Harvard Library Innovation Lab, the SPL’s three branches are the first public libraries to have an “Awesome Box.” (Harvard University has utilized these boxes in some of their libraries.) Pictured on the right, these boxes are near the regular return drop off points. Patrons who have particularly enjoyed a book, CD, movie or any other item can return the item to the Awesome Box. They will then be listed on the library’s Awesome Box page (http://somerville.awesomebox.io/), so patrons can share what they find interesting and discover what their neighbors enjoy.

The main branch’s “Awesome Box”

If there’s something that strikes your fancy, click on the item and the site will send you to the library’s catalog, where you can read more about the item, find out if it’s currently available and place a hold on it. There is also a “most awesome” section, which shows the items that were most thought to be awesome. Users can also search for items that are listed as awesome.

We hope that these boxes will spark conversation among library patrons and their neighbors as we continue to provide the best possible service and resources to you!

This entry was posted on Monday, February 11th, 2013 at 12:39 pm and is filed under Library Services, News You Can Use, You've Got to Read This.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.