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The Los Angeles Public Library brings library cards and free short stories to L.A. Comic Con

The Los Angeles Library had a big booth full of fun surprises at this year's L.A. Comic Con

Los Angeles Public Library table featuring forms, pins, stickers
Image credit: Popverse
Short story machine printing out a short story
Image credit: Popverse

At this year's L.A. Comic Con, there was a large open booth near the Main Stage which caught my eye. Now, I am all about libraries (I probably go at least once a week to my local), but even I didn't know that apparently every California resident can sign up for a Los Angeles Public Library card. And that's what the booth was all about.

Throughout the weekend, I saw a steady stream of people walking up to the booth, filling out a form on a clipboard, and walking away with a swag bag and a library card. The staffers at the booth were excited to share about all of the perks that came with the card, even for those who weren't local to the libary, including digital perks like ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming movies and television. You could also sign up to read comics through the LAPL system, and, suprisingly, get four free tickets to the L.A. Zoo every year.

One particularly cool aspect of the booth was a short story machine through which a visitor could choose English or Spanish, and after pushing the button of choice, a short story would start scrolling out on a receipt roll, for the visitor to take away and read, maybe whilst waiting in line for a food truck at lunch.

It's nice to think that a lot of LA comic con attendees left with new library cards this weekend.


Visit the Los Angeles Public Library website to learn more. .

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