Finding something to read before getting on a flight at the Santa Barbara Airport just got easier.
The Santa Barbara Public Library and the airport recently launched a new book cart, Library on the Fly, on the second floor of the airport’s terminal past Gate 2.
“SBA prides itself on providing a travel experience that is unique from other airports, and this library is another small way we can further enhance our passengers’ journey,” Chris Hastert, airport director, said in a press release.
The cart holds about 100 adult, children’s and multilingual books that people can choose from before their flight.
People do not need a library card to take a book, but a small sign next to the cart encourages them to sign up for one. They are also encouraged to donate a book if they take a book, similar to free little libraries that have become popular in neighborhoods across the country.
The books currently on the cart were either donated to the public library or came from the library’s community events.
“It is small but mighty,” Catalina Morancey, the Santa Barbara Public Library’s Spanish outreach coordinator, told Noozhawk.
While the cart launched about two weeks ago, the project has been in the works since last year, according to Morancey.
“Patrons on my side of the library would say, ‘Oh, I don’t want to take a book in my travels because I am afraid to lose it,’” she said. Others would tell her that they would not bring a book while traveling because it took up too much space in their luggage.
The cart offers a solution to both of those concerns, she said.
Since the cart was put out, books have been flying off the shelves, according to Morancey and Lauren Gonzales, the Santa Barbara Airport’s marketing supervisor.
“The day we put it out, all the shelves that we filled, the books were completely gone in two days,” Gonzales said.
Staff members restock the cart every couple of days.
“The children’s books in particular are going really fast,” Morancey added.
Houston resident Katie Kushner was excited to see a book cart while she was traveling out of the airport on Friday.
“This is a huge selection. I am thrilled,” she said.
An English teacher, she said she is always carrying books and was excited to take a novel from the cart — “Midwives” by Chris Bohjalian — and add it to her collection.
Some airlines have donated books that get left behind on planes.
However, Morancey and Gonzales have noticed that more books are being picked up than donated, and they hope to receive more books from the community.
Additional book carts might be added to the airport if the demand continues, but right now the staff is focusing on the one, according to Gonzales.
“We are hoping to spread the word that people should bring books when they are traveling through, or if they are coming back from a trip, and if they took one, they can leave it,” she said.
The Santa Barbara Airport isn’t the first airport to start a free little library. The Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport launched one a few months ago, also in partnership with a local public library.
