Library Card Music Player

Have you ever wondered what your library card sounds like?

Come and have a play with our prototype library card music player and be part of its development. There will be an open session in St Thomas Library on Saturday 30th October. The idea for Library Card Music Player Project is to build music-generating devices that will be installed into three different libraries.  Each device will produce and play a short melody created from a borrower’s library card and, every time a borrower uses the card, they will hear the same tune. 

Most libraries now have self-issue card machines and, in a similar way, users can scan their library card to produce a melody, almost like self-issuing their own tune. We hope that by engaging borrowers in such a unique way, this will attract more users to libraries.

These devices will be bespoke for each library and workshops will be hosted to outline the possibilities, to discuss the technology used (Raspberry Pi computers), and to even create a unique device based on audio contributions of their own if desired.  By doing so, libraries will feel they have contributed in some way to the development of the work and will have a sense of ownership of the project.

This project is funded by Arts Council England.