A vending machine for books? How Rancho Cordova is helping kids build home libraries

The main playroom of the Rancho Cordova Youth Center features laminate floors, a few whiteboards and lockers pushed against the edges, and a giant vending machine in the left corner.

But unlike typical vending machines, this one does not spit out candy, soda or crackers. Instead, there’s row after row of children’s books inside.

Any child with a special token in hand, can walk up to the machine, select a book and see it quickly come tumbling down. Once the book is in their hands, it’s theirs to keep forever.

The book vending machine arrived at the youth center in February as a gift from the Rancho Cordova Kiwanis Club. Last year, the community service club bought the machine and hundreds of books after they received a $9,000 grant from the city of Rancho Cordova.

The machines are part of Kiwanis’ Book Buddies Club, which aims to expand home libraries by giving young people books for free. Linda Burkholder, one of the club members, said the purpose of the project is simple – make it easier for children to own books.

“Children’s books are really expensive, which is one reason why a lot of our kids in Rancho don’t have them at home,” she said. “They get to take them for free and the kids love it.”

Even though most children have access to books at public libraries, Burkholder said many parents lack the time or transportation to get there, and it can be heartbreaking for a child to have to return their favorite book.

Amelia Vollchansky, 9, has received at least five books so far and said the chapter books have challenged her to be a better reader. Every time she steps up to the unusual vending machine, she’s filled with excitement.

“In the library you have to give them back,” she said. “It’s okay if I get them dirty and I can keep them right by my bed.”

There are a total of six book vending machines in Rancho Cordova. Five machines are located within Rancho Cordova schools and one lives at the youth center.

More than 150 children attend after school or summer programs at the youth center. RCYC offers academic help, mentorship, sports and arts and crafts activities to all attendees.

Every student who comes to the Rancho Cordova Youth Center is eligible to use the book vending machine if they reach certain reading goals. Grades first through fifth must read 100 minutes, while grades six and up must finish 100 pages. Once a child meets that requirement, they are awarded a coin they can use for the book vending machine.

Adreana Peterson, the RCYC branch manager, said students are much more enthusiastic about reading since it arrived six months ago. Up to 10 children a week have been reading enough to claim a book from the machine, she said.

“Getting students to read or getting them excited about reading has always been one of our biggest challenges,” she said. “But once the book vending machine was put in, it was actually really impressive to me to see the number of kids that are completing forms that are trying to reach their goal to get their own book.”

Each book vending machine can hold up to 250 books at a time. The machines are restocked by Kiwanis club members whenever supplies run low. Burkholder is the club’s primary book purchaser and said she chooses children’s books based on surveys completed by youth, teachers and school librarians.

Recently, Rancho Cordova city council approved an additional $7,500 grant for the community service club to continue funding the book vending machine and other literacy efforts in the area.

In a short period of time, Petersen said the book vending machine has become one of the major features of the youth center as children of all ages continue to collect their own books.

“The fact that they can say that they earned it, they get to choose the book and no one else has a say in what book they get but themselves, it really does turn kids’ perspective on what they can and can’t do,” she said.