awareness among nonusers is a necessity for survival and prosperity. To bring new users through its doors, Barr Me- morial Library, an award-winning li- brary serving the military community in Fort Knox, KY, leveraged the power of curiosity, posing the question, “What’s in the LibraryBox?” The brainchild of Jason Griffey—a consultant, former head of library infor- mation technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and a 2009 LJ Mover & Shaker—the LibraryBox is a self-contained, pocket-sized wireless network that was conceived as a pro- grammable, open source file sharing de- vice. The LibraryBox functions like a closed network and is discoverable on portable electronic devices with wireless capabilities, including tablets and smart- phones. Details of the project can be found at jasongriffey.net/librarybox. Customization The Barr LibraryBox started with Griffey’s basic configuration, work- ing with the TP-LINK TL-MR3020 3G/4G Wireless N150 Portable Router he recommends. Storage for library- able owing to copyright considerations, the Barr LibraryBox offers infor- mation on how registered users can access proprie- tary databases and services like Zinio. Creating the custom HTML skin and adjusting the open source code to our specifications were initially the most time-consuming part of the project, although web authoring tools such as Dreamweaver can also be used to create a custom skin. For initial deployment, the library tar- geted high-traffic locations where users would be looking for diversion and a way to pass the time, such as the shop- ping complex’s food court, physical fit- ness centers, a water park, pharmacies, and cafeterias. Many of these entities were not necessarily regular partners with the library, which afforded an op- portunity to build bridges and network. downloaded), and a short paragraph on who can use the library. To encourage continued use, content is updated quarterly, and in- centive “coupons” provide users with expanded bor- rowing privileges, etc. Barr’s approach to de- ploying the LibraryBox is unique in that it is attempt- ing to saturate the com- munity with the product, placing it, initially, at 18 locations. The first few months of deployment were wildly successful, and a year into the project the library is averaging between 400 and 500 monthly LibraryBox uses. Simple, eye-catching four-step posters at LibraryBox sites inform users how to connect. Customized pieces, such as di- rections for digital monitors, were also devised at the request of partnering or- ganizations in order to allow them to maximize exposure. FIELDREPORTS What’s in the Box? By Michael Steinmacher & G.J. Corey Harmon The Barr LibraryBox was developed to be one part library promotion, one part content
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