Trolley and bus passengers can now use their digital devices to check out books on the go, using technology to extend literacy and learning outside the walls of library buildings.
San Diego City Librarian Janice Wilhelm says the idea is to foster a greater appreciation for reading among the 300,000 daily transit riders in San Diego. Like a traditional book club, readers will be able to exchange ideas about the books in the real and virtual world.
“This seemed like a great mutual opportunity for us to reach out to many more patrons, many of whom may not have been in the library for a while,” Wilhelm said. “And so we invite people to look for the MTS signs and they can see the website where they can go and it will guide them through the process of checking out a book and downloading it to their device."
The two featured books this quarter in the new "Read and Ride" program are “Maya's Notebook” and “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.” Mark Olson with the Metropolitan Transit System says they want to make the program available to everyone.
“We want to provide people with more options while their riding and a lot of people enjoy a good book. So, this program will offer that to them and it's free,” Olson said.
Most eBooks will be available in English and Spanish — and you don't need a library card to participate.
For more information go to their website at readandridesd.org.
