BAKER — They say good things come to those who wait, but for Baker residents who value literature and other library materials, the wait is over.
The Library Spot, a lending machine that offers books and DVDs to Okaloosa County library members, made its Baker Block Museum location official on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the service that opened Feb. 28.
The machine, the first of its kind in the county, offers a variety of books — from children's to young adult and adult bestsellers — and some of the latest family movies.
Ultimately, it offers Baker residents a local library service.
"It can take you 25 minutes just to drive to Crestview from here," cooperative coordinator Vicky Stever said. "We wanted to find a way to serve people without them having to drive so many miles and spending so much time."
The machine looks similar to a snack vending machine, but there is no charge to use the contents inside. You just need a library card. Nearby is a drop-off box for returning items.
"It’s a lot cheaper than buying books," Baker resident Christina Pilkington said.
Pilkington regularly takes her sons ─Gabriel, 6, and Jacob, 5 ─to the lending machine, which is on their way to school from where they live.
"I read every night with my mom," Gabriel said.
Want to go?
The Library Spot is in front of Baker Block Museum on the corner of U.S Highway 189 and State Road 4 in Baker.
Contact the Okaloosa County Library Cooperative, 609-5101 or LibrarySpot@okaloosa.lib.fl.us, for more details.
Need a library card?
Application forms are available at Baker Block Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The museum is also open on the third Saturday of every month at the same time.
Word about the machine has been spreading, museum coordinator Ann Spann said.
"We have had a lot of curiosity and excitement by it and the novelty of it is catching people's attention,” she said.
"It has also been driving in traffic into the museum."
Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Matthew Brown at 850-682-6524 or matthewb@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbMatthew.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Library access comes to Baker residents