DUBLIN, Ga. — Students in Laurens County now have more places than just the library to get a book.
Over the summer, the school district installed a book vending machine at their primary, elementary, middle schools, and sixth-grade academy. LG4A Grant Administrator Betsy Glisson says they got seven of the machines and books using a literacy grant.
Students are able to earn tokens through things like achieving certain goals while in school. Once they get a token, they get a book from the machine that is theirs to keep. So far, the machine has been a hit, according to associate superintendent Ronda Hightower.
"The real power is when you see a kid earn a token and -- this literally happened -- the kid lives in a hotel, she got to vend a book and she literally almost cried. She said, 'Do I get to keep this? This is mine?'" Hightower said.
The machines were installed over the summer.