GoLibrary or Library-a-Go-Go (Swedish: Bokomaten) is a book lending vending machine used by libraries in Sweden and the U.S. state of California.[1] [2] [3] [4] The Contra Costa Library was the body that first brought these machines to the United States.[5] [6]
The machines were developed by the Swedish company Distec and have been used in Stockholm for several years.[7] They were introduced in California and was first used on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system at its Pittsburg/Bay Point, El Cerrito del Norte, and Millbrae Stations.[1] [2] [3] [4] The Pittsburg and El Cerrito machines are operated by the Contra Costa Public Library System.[1] [2] [3] That library also has a machine at Sandy Cove Shopping Center in Discovery Bay, California, a town without a local library.[1] [2] [3] [8] The machine in Millbrae is operated by the Peninsula Library System.[1] [2] [4]
The Yuba County Library, which has only one outlet and a bookmobile, plans to add a GoLibrary machine as well.[1] There are also initiatives that adopted the GoLibrary framework but using the virtual platform such as the project launched by the national library of Singapore.[9] A similar trend was introduced in Denmark but it involves live books and local experts that can be "checked out" for 30 minutes at a time.[10] The experts can discuss all aspects of a subject matter with individuals or groups.