“Botty McBotface,” “Bacon” and “Carl” are top contenders for the name of the unnamed bookBot in Hunt Library. As a part of a fundraising campaign, NCSU Libraries is taking suggestions to name the automated book-retrieval robot.
The “sad bookBot” campaign has raised around $3,500 of its $50,000 goal and focuses on how the other three bookBots already have names. The money will go toward improving NCSU Libraries, with students being able to vote on what developments they think are needed.
Hunt Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus houses up to 2 million books in the bookBot, an automated book delivery system that takes up one-ninth of the space of a conventional bookshelf.
Located 20 feet under the first floor of the library, patrons receive books from the bookBot in a matter of minutes by simply going to the library website and requesting the titles they need. The robot then retrieves the materials from one of 18,000 bins that house the books and sends it to the front desk.
People can submit potential names for the bookBot by donating a minimum of $20 to NCSU Libraries. Names with the highest number of votes, as well as suggestions from contributors who have donated more than $500, then advance to the final round of voting, which will take place in March.
“We think of [technologies] as tools that enhance the work our users do,” said Chris Tonelli, NCSU Libraries’ director of communication strategy. “If our students and faculty have access to emerging technologies, then they are gaining access to skills that will make them competitive … in the job market, when applying to grad schools, when applying for grant money or funding. The initial idea behind the #sadbookBot initiative was to involve primarily students and young alumni in a crowdsourcing-like campaign to raise the $50K needed to name the fourth and final bookBot.”
The reason for the $50,000 goal, Tonelli says, is because that is how much donors paid to name each of the other three bookBots.
With profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the sad bookBot often visits campus and interacts with students through scavenger hunts and trivia games. In addition, the bookBot webpage contains a link to a tutorial for making your own paper bookBot and a music video that depicts the robot’s angst over being nameless.
“I think the future of the campaign will be positive,” said Emily Goodwin, a senior majoring in film studies and a student worker at NCSU Libraries. “We are continuously gaining followers and reaching more people. As the word continues to get out, I believe we will receive more recognition and more donations.”
One of Hunt Library's bookbots retrieves a book from the catalog on Thursday. NCSU Libraries is currently holding a competition to name one of its unnamed robots. Students can cast votes for its new name at the NCSU Libraries website.
