Taking Live-brary to The Airport

On May 5, 2014 Long Island MacArthur Airport held the grand opening of its new “Atrium at the Airport.”  In the spirit of taking your library with you, representatives from Suffolk County libraries joined in on the fun and brought some new technology to show passers-by.  To demonstrate that travelers can check out and read a book on the go, a portable media station was set up to show how to download a book while waiting for flights.  The Live-brary.com Discovery Station, which connects library cardholders to downloadable books, is now on loan to the airport.  It will be there for the next six months.

Many people did not know that they could download books for free with their library card and were delighted to see the possibilities via the media station.  To make things fun, if anyone said that they have downloaded books from Live-brary.com, they received a Live-brary.com T-shirt. “Pretty cool” said one passerby. “I’m a Kindle reader, and I use Live-brary.com all the time” said another.    One gentleman asked about the publishers losing money.  We explained that we purchase the books, sometimes 100 copies of the same title.  Live-brary pays for them so that library patrons don’t have to.   How long is the lending period?  Fourteen days and if you’re not finished, you can download it again.  Your device remembers your place in the book!  “I’m sold” said someone else. ”I love it. It’s perfect. I didn’t know we could do that.  I’m a teacher and my kids can’t get eBooks easily.  Now I can tell them about Live-brary.com free eBooks.“ One gentleman summed it all up. “It’s awesome.  Anybody who doesn’t use it is missing the boat because what could be easier”?

The star of the show was definitely the 3 D printer that was brought to demonstrate this new and exciting technology.  People were fascinated by the MakerBot and so excited when they learned that it could be coming to their library.  

The MakerBot is scheduled to travel around Suffolk County libraries so customers can see how 3 D printing works. Different libraries will have differing programs. Library representatives explained how the technology functions, and brought some objects to give away. What could be more appropriate than 3D printed airplanes?

For more information call your library to find out if and when the MakerBot is scheduled to be in your building.  To find your local library, visit Live-brary.com and click on the map in the upper right hand corner.  Who knows what your library will come up with next?