You’re Never Too Far From A Library in Northwest Connecticut

I stopped into The Market at 739 Bantam Road in Bantam last night on the way home to pick up some of The Market's delicious house-made smoked shrimp, and as I was walking out of the store, I saw a vending machine that stopped me in my tracks.

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It looked like a Redbox machine at first, because I saw a couple of DVD's and Blu Ray's, then I saw the audio and hardcover books inside. What a great idea. It wasn't a Red Box vending machine, it was actually an OWL Box. What does OWL stand for? Oliver Wolcott Library. Litchfield's Library which is located on South Street in town. The vending machine was not stocked with snacks for your body, but snacks for your brain.

I have to respect Northwest Connecticut's efforts to keep the flow of free information going. I'm always thrilled when I pass by the micro-library on the side of Rt. 7 on the way North into Massachusetts, and now I just discovered the OWL Box too. The great news about the OWL box at The Market-Bantam is any Connecticut Library card holder may borrow the items, just have it physically with you if you're headed there, because that is what the machine scans in order to release the item.

The other good news is about the return policy, materials checked out at the OWL box may be returned at The Market-Bantam, at the Oliver Wolcott Library, or at any public library here in Connecticut. Nice job Oliver Wolcott Library, and Litchfield County.