Book a Nook
An open-source tool to activate, connect, and experiment with community spaces.- Time
- Host
- Harvard
- Location
- global
Book a Nook is an open-source web application for managing library and other community space reservations. It’s funded by the Knight Foundation’s Prototype Fund. Inspired by innovative uses of libraries as flexible community space, it departs from other (overwhelmingly proprietary) room management systems in three major areas:
Usability. Simplified workflow and a visual interface, expanded room information, consideration of in-library and at-home use cases.
Data. In addition to streamlining annual reporting requirements, BaN prioritizes librarian control over data to inform library policy decisions and advocate for library resources while respecting the privacy of patrons.
Connection. BaN allows libraries and other community spaces to create a network of spaces, allowing searches across sites. It also has an open API that can be used both to embed library spaces within the larger digital ecosystem and as a hands-on source of data for patrons learning to code.