There are pretty much two types of readers in the world. Those who read because they have to, but don’t enjoy it, and those who passionately love to read. If you are of the former and tell a book lover that you don’t like to read, chances are the book lover will say that you just haven’t found the right book yet. I am a book lover. For me, reading is a way to escape, relax, and experience new worlds. It is a way I bond nightly with my children, cuddled up reading a picture or chapter book. I have always had a large collection of books in my home, especially children’s books. Still, every two weeks I proudly grab my giant book tote bag and head to my local library to restock our reading supply. Our librarians know my children and me on a personal level, often ready with some great suggestions.

As we prepared for the impending coronavirus lock down, we wisely stocked up on basic necessities, yet somehow I completely forgot to stop by the library to return and take out new books. Luckily we have Kindles and tablets so we can download books, but when trying to foster a love of reading in children, there is nothing that compares to having a physical book to hold in your hands. Kelly Passek, a middle school librarian from Christianburg, Virginia feels the same way and has decided to do something about making sure children in her community have access to actual books once again with the help of some drones.

In October of 2019, Christianburg, Virginia became the first US test site for Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to test out their drone delivery program called Wing. The small town is a suburb of Virginia Tech, one of the universities participating in the UAS Integration Pilot Program that has been focusing on enabling package deliveries via drones in rural and urban settings. Around the same time that this program was established Wing became the first US Certified Air Carrier. Collaborating with Walgreens in Christianburg, Wing was granted permission from the FAA to begin making deliveries of some 100 products to local customers. Drone deliveries included items like over the counter medications, snacks, personal hygiene products, and other small goods. As the spread of COVID-19 increased, Wing and Walgreens increased their delivery option to suit the needs of those under quarantine in Christianburg.

Not only have Wing and Walgreens increased their drone deliveries, but other local businesses have been added to the program, like Mockingbird Café, a local bakery. Now the citizens of Christianburg are getting everything from toilet paper and medications to croissants and coffee delivered to their doorsteps by drones. Within the first two weeks of the expanded program, Wing had made more than 1,000 residential drone deliveries in Virginia. Wing CEO James Ryan Burgess said, “While we recognize that this service will be a small relief during this time, we hope it means one less trip to the store for items our customers may need, and provides an efficient way for local businesses to reach their customers in a time when limiting human-to-human contact is important.” As one of Wing’s original customers, Kelly Passek was very impressed by how convenient and exciting it was to be getting deliveries from a drone. She realized that people, especially the students she had grown to miss, needed access to books just as much as they needed their java and ice cream fixes.

Kelly reached out to Wing to set up a way of having school library books delivered to the 600 students living in the delivery range. Beginning this week students will be able to fill out a Google request form for books that Kelly will fulfill. Wearing a mask and gloves, she will go around to all of the libraries within the district to gather the requested materials and then bring them to Wing’s distribution center. From there the books will be packaged and delivered via drone to the students. Students will not need to worry about returning items until school resumes. This is a huge undertaking for Kelly, and luckily Wing will not be charging a service fee, but as a lover of books, you do what you can to spread that love.

For some reluctant readers, getting a book delivered by a drone just might be what it takes to spark a love of reading. “I think kids are going to be just thrilled to learn that they are going to be the first in the world to receive a library book by drone,” Kelly said. While many libraries, like the one I belong to, have made programs and resources available online, not everyone has access to E-readers. With the help of Wing and a dedicated librarian, the children and their families of Christianburg will have access to a library even if there are in quarantine.