While it does operate 24/7, the Emporia Public Library hasn’t always been able to accomodate the schedule of all local readers, that is, until recently.
Tuesday, the library cut the ribbon on its new book locker in Peter Pan Park. The locker includes more than 20 containers where requested materials such as books, DVDs and even activity kits can be placed for residents to pick up anytime, day or night.
Library Director Pauline Stacchini, in a recent interview with KVOE News, says the locker is the latest step in the library’s mission to expand its reach to the community, adding that every aspect of the project was done with great intention, including its location.
The locker was a project over three years in the making, with initial conversations dating back to 2022. Stacchini says this was a far from simple project; however, it is one that she hopes will entice more residents to access their materials and potentially make their way through the library’s doors in the future.
Stacchini tells KVOE News she can’t say definitively if this will be just the starting point of a larger initiative across the community; however, she is very hopeful it could be.
In order to access the book locker, residents will simply need a valid library card, which is free to all Emporia and Kansas residents. Residents wishing to pick up items through the locker will need to either call or go online to the library’s website to reserve a pickup and select the book locker option.
For more information, contact the library by calling 620-340-6462 or visit Emporialibrary.org.
