A school librarian in Virginia came up with a creative way to ensure that kids still have books to keep them occupied during the lockdown. She’s delivering them by drone.
Kelly Passek works for the Montgomery County Public Schools. When remote learning began in the school district due to the coronavirus, it was difficult for her to make sure her students got the books and study aids they needed.
Then she was struck with an idea. Her family often uses Wing, a drone service from Google’s parent company Alphabet, to get essentials delivered straight to their door.
Passek thought maybe she could use the technology to fulfill library book requests from students. She asked the superintendent, Mark Miear about the idea and he was “immediately on board.”
“Montgomery County Public Schools will be the first public school system in the world to use Wing to deliver library books to students.”
Passek coordinates the delivery process with Wing. Students can request to take out library books using an online form. Passek fulfills the requests, packs the books up in special delivery boxes, then drops them off at Wing, which handles the drone deliveries.
Passek said – “We are thrilled for this opportunity to have a really unique way to deliver resources to our students and do it practically on demand.”
The service started last week on a limited trial basis, according to Wing. Now, students in Montgomery County can choose from the library’s more than 150,000 titles, and have their books delivered right to their front yard.