A Book Vending Machine!

As a local author, I was invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand-new book vending machine at Buffalo Public School 61. Unfortunately, I couldn’t attend, but a writer friend who did go sent me this photo. (Photo credit Elizabeth Coburn.) Wow, right? Coolest idea ever.

So in an effort to get local author friends to donate a few books, I posted the picture on Twitter. That was the extent of my involvement in the project.

The real credit goes to Dr. Robinson, assistant principal at Arthur O. Eve School of Distinction, who had seen the machine at another school and wanted to get one in Buffalo. Our local news did a great job reporting it, so check out these links for more info, photos, and videos.

The Buffalo News -- WBFO -- WGRZ --  WIVB

The tweet got likes, retweets, and comments all day long. (And it’s still being shared!) People have been tagging their librarians, principals, and teacher friends. And everyone has been asking, “How can I get one of these for my school?!” So here we are, because I wanted to get an answer to that question.

Want a book vending machine in your school?

Here are the steps you can take to get your own (in whatever order works for you), along with how PS 61 made it happen.

1. Talk with your school.

School 61 Principal, Mrs. Parette U. Walker, and Assistant Principal, Dr. Unseld Robinson, led the charge to install this book vending machine in the school library, helping students gain access to free books while discovering the joy of reading in and out of school.

2. Contact Global Vending.

Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, worked with a local vending machine company to figure out which books would work in the machine. From there, a title list was created for the school to select books of the right size to fit. For larger picture books, cardboard covers are placed in the machine and students can take these replicas to the office to get the actual book. Contact Global Vending Group for more information.

3. Plan where to get the funding.

The vending machine was purchased by the school’s after-school partner, Community Action Organization of WNY, using NYS education grant funds. John Mika, founder of The Teacher's Desk donated books and will keep the machine stocked. Scholastic also donated books.

It’s pretty amazing to see it all come together!

Have questions? Contact jay@globalvendinggroup.com. You can also contact your local Scholastic Education sales representative here. Or leave a comment and we’ll try to get them answered.

If you do get your own book vending machine, tell us about it! Comment here or tag it with #bookvendingmachine on social media.

If you’re an author or publisher who would like to donate books, leave a comment with an email address to contact you. If schools are looking for donations, they can contact you.

And please share this post as we’re not able to answer all the comments on Twitter.

Happy reading!