Dive Brief:
- Students at Daly Elementary School in Inkster, Michigan, can access books not just from their library, but from a book vending machine that was recently installed to incentivize reading and reward positive behavior.
- Funded by a donation from the Corewell Health System, these vending machines don’t take quarters or bills. Instead, students earn tokens for good behavior and can then use them to select a book from the machine.
- Districts in states including California, Montana and Wisconsin have also installed book vending machines at several schools to promote literacy. Funding for these machines varies by school, and some depend on support from parent-teacher organizations or donations from community members and organizations.
Dive Insight:
A national survey of parents’ and children’s reading behaviors conducted by Scholastic found that 54% of children get most of the books they read for fun from a school-based source like a book fair or school library. Book vending machines like the one at Daly Elementary are another approach to expanding book access and incentivizing reading.
Access to books and encouragement from supportive adults can boost children’s literacy and learning opportunities, according to a 2018 report looking at a program that installed free book vending machines in low-income neighborhoods. The report also found that the more exposure students have to books, the more likely they are to develop an interest in reading, which can later lead to higher reading proficiency.
The Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine installed at Daly Elementary is part of a positive behavioral interventions and supports program. Students who demonstrate positive behaviors like kindness, responsibility and respect earn points that they can then redeem for tokens for the vending machine.
Other schools with book vending machines use strategies like rewarding students with free books on their birthdays.
According to the Global Vending Group website, the cost of an Inchy’s Bookworm Vending Machine ranges from $4,995 to $6,300. The machines are stocked by the school's current book suppliers, but the company offers book bundles and can adjust the machine’s trays for a variety of book sizes. Schools can also customize the design of their machines to include school colors and mascots.
