Press Short édition

Three short story dispensers are now up and running at the Richland Library Main location at 1431 Assembly St.

The dispensers were provided to the library through a grant from the Knight Foundation. In May, Columbia was announced as one of U.S. four cities selected to receive the dispensers. [...]

“The ideal of this is to have these in the community places and events,” Tallent said. “We hope it will elevate a focus on literacy and get people interested in reading in a different way.”

Once upon a time there was a start-up with a dream of bringing the pleasures of reading to more people. Happily, this dream came true. At the push of a button the Short Story Dispenser prints out fiction that can be read in one, three or five minutes, for free.

Patrons at the bar of Cafe Zoetrope in San Francisco have a diversion to help pass the minutes: They can read a story. It’s not a story on their phone or Kindle, or even an honest-to-goodness book, but a story they have printed out from a dedicated machine that stands in the bar.
Short Edition is a French company which, having had success in its native country across 150 venues, turned its attention to U.S. shores.