If successful, the library will consider installing the kiosks at stations on the Eglinton Crosstown line and in the lobby of libraries
Source: www.thestar.com
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.