Tuscaloosa Public Library installs remote book vending machines

Patrons of two Park and Recreation Authority activity centers in Tuscaloosa County now have an educational opportunity to accompany their workouts. Tuscaloosa Public Library is placing book vending machines in the PARA Faucett Brothers Activity Center in Northport and the Bobby Miller Activity Center in Englewood, which is beside Taylorville Primary School.

The book vending machines are funded by Tuscaloosa County's share of money from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. There is already a machine in the Northport City Hall and the library staff hopes to place more machines in other public places in the future.

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"This is an outreach. We have the Main Branch, but we are looking for ways to better serve the community," said Jeff Hinton, the Tuscaloosa Public Library's chairman of the board of trustees. "In the years since COVID, and after having to close the Brown Branch, we were looking for ways to reach out and help the people of Tuscaloosa County still have access without having to come to the main library. These vending machines create those opportunities."

The vending machines operate via a Tuscaloosa Public Library card. The machines feature a selection of books aimed at all ages. The selection is limited by the size of the machine, which slightly larger than a standard size food or drink vending machine. The machine holds 200 books.

Library patrons can also return books to the vending machines even if they were checked out at the main library in Tuscaloosa. Library staff will periodically check for returns and update the stock in each machine.

Hinton said one of the aims of the program is to make the library more accessible for people who can't come all the way to the main library downtown. By placing them in locations around Tuscaloosa County, Hinton said he hopes it will promote more reading.

In the first round of installations, the library will place a total of four machines. A location in the eastern part of the county will house the fourth machine to go along with those at Northport City Hall, the Faucett Brothers Activity Center and the Bobby Miller Activity Center.

The library is looking to add between 10 and 12 machines over the next five years, according to Hinton.

Some of the future machines will be weather-sealed and could be placed in outdoor locations. The book vending machine costs between $30,000 and $60,000. Larger models that can work outdoors are on the order of $200,000.

"These are the most cost-efficient by far," said Jennifer Pearson, the Tuscaloosa Public Library's executive director. "It has always been one of my goals to get our services out into the community. Now with only two branches within a few miles of each other and in such a large county, we need a way to serve more people and get out to where they are."

The Tuscaloosa Public Library has been in a funding crisis that has caused reduced library hours and the closure of the Brown Branch. The machines will help the library maintain a presence the community, but without the costs associated with renting a building and providing staffing.

"Manning a remote site was not financially responsible for the library. Even though it was a tough decision, it was what was right for the library. I think this, while it is not a typical walk-the-halls, smell-the-books experience, it is still a great compromise," Hinton said.

"The initial cost is just that. After that it is a book budget. We can keep these two machines stocked for $20,000 to $40,000 per year. The Brown Branch was over $500,000 per year to operate, so this is a significantly lower cost," Pearson said.

The placement of the machines in PARA activity centers was not a random decision. According to Hinton, the conditions for using the ARPA grant money was the machines could not be placed in a venue that was selling merchandise. With their high traffic and reputation as community hubs, it was an easy decision to locate machines in activity centers.

Brian Davis, chief executive officer for PARA said, "I think this helps all our citizens. This is another way to partner with other entities within the community."

Davis said while PARA activity centers might not be the place that comes immediately to mind when thinking of reading, the book vending machines do fit well into the overall picture of community wellness.

"Recreation is all-encompassing. Some people like to do activity things. Some people like to do art. Some people like to read. That's what gives them their energy. I think this is a way to do that," Davis said.

Reach Gary Cosby Jr. at gary.cosby@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Tuscaloosa Public Library installs remote book vending machines