Tacoma ‘Microlibrary’ brings books, services to library-free area of town

If you’re a voracious reader, but live in an area of town without a library — and don’t have a car, or don’t have the time to sit on a bus — just getting a new book to read can be a challenge. An all-new “Microlibrary” in Tacoma, the first of its kind in the Puget Sound, bridges that gap.

Functioning a little like a vending machine and a little like a jukebox, the Microlibrary allows people to check out books, DVDs, graphic novels, and free passes for local museums from a kiosk in Tacoma’s Eastside Community Center. After scanning a library card or Tacoma Schools ID card, users can scroll through a catalog of 500 items, select the one they want, and watch a robotic arm grab their choice.

Five months after its inception, the Microlibrary is a hit, serving 150 people in February alone. It’s an especially helpful resource for people who lost their library nearly a decade ago during the recession.

“We know that there is a gap of services here,” said Mariesa Bus, Tacoma Public Libraries public information officer. “The Microlibrary is not a full-scale library, obviously, but it is one way of restoring services, and getting it out to the area, so that people have that option.”

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The hundreds of books and movies offered at the Microlibrary include the most popular items from other Tacoma libraries, so residents of the Eastside are not left out. Right now, Eastsiders are especially loving “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and “Becoming” by Michelle Obama. Younger readers are eating up “Smile” by Raina Telgemeier and Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man.”

Many of the titles provided are in Spanish to accommodate the many Latino members of the Eastside community.

Services come to the Eastside in the form of an outreach librarian who hosts programs at the Microlibrary, such as a story-time and book club.

“[She is] kind of making that fun relationship that a lot of us had with our librarians when we were growing up, where you always had somebody to talk to about what you were interested, and who encouraged you,” Bus said.

With the Eastside Community Center located right across from First Creek Middle School, the Microlibrary is helping to foster a love of reading in kids. The librarian at the Microlibrary works with the young bookworms to keep them turning pages.

“They will just tear through books and come back and say, ‘What else do you have, what else do you have? I really liked that book, what else do you have like that?'” Bus said. “[The librarian is] able to customize the collection based on their entrance and get kids [reading] who maybe have only enjoyed reading this year.”

For the parents, the library can be a rare chance to get some “me-time.”

One stressed-out mother was picking her child up from swim lessons at the center when she sat down to take a breather in her packed day. Bus approached her and told her about the Microlibrary.

“She was able to check out a movie for herself, and check out a book that she had been meaning to pick up, but she’s just so busy and so consumed with taking care of her family,” Bus said. “So she just was so happy to have that resource right there in the middle of her day, where it’s unexpected — it’s like an unexpected surprise. It’s a fun resource.”

Other local library districts have admired the Microlibrary and may create copies of their own.

“It’s one thing to kind of think about, ‘Oh, how would this fit?’ or whatever, and then when you actually see people using it and see how it’s working out in real time, it’s really cool,” Bus said.

In Tacoma, the city council has allowed enough funds for two Microlibraries. Bus said the second location will be announced soon, so stay tuned if you’re a resident. A new Microlibrary may be coming soon to your neighborhood.

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