Just because it's the holidays, that doesn't mean that the public can't still educate themselves in a classroom-like setting. Starting this Tuesday, the public is now able to access a myriad of electronic devices thanks to the brand new Ideas Box in the central branch of the Detroit Public Library. The Ideas Box is a portable media center and digital classroom that can be set up in under 20 minutes and features 15 tablets, four laptops, 50 e-readers, 5,000 e-books, and its own power system with a generator and battery system. There are also 250 hard copy books, a cinema screen and projector with 100 films, and board and video games included. The Ideas Box weighs approximately 1,800 pounds and cost approximately $60,000, not including cost of deployment and training program. The pop-up library and media center will move to a variety of public spaces and events in Detroit until the end of December. You can find out the Ideas Box's schedule on Twitter.
According to a press release, the Detroit Mayor's Office is the first city government in the U.S. to develop an Ideas Box program with other programs developed in Burundi, Jordan, Australia, and France. The Ideas Box was created by the nonprofit Libraries Without Borders in partnership with the Alexander Soros Foundation, the Pierre Bellon Foundation, and French designer Philippe Starck. The partners for the program included the Mayor's Office, the Detroit Public Library, and Southwest Solutions, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, and the Knight Foundation Fund of the Community Foundation.
· The Ideas Box Now in Detroit! [Libraries Without Borders]
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