Hospitals are places of waiting. Waiting for news, waiting for answers, waiting for loved ones. Now, thanks to a new partnership between Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and the Barrie Public Library (BPL), there’s a simple way to fill some of that time with comfort, distraction, and connection.
A new self-serve library kiosk is now open inside RVH, giving patients, visitors, staff, and volunteers easy access to books right in the hospital.
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How the library kiosk works
Located beside Victoria’s Gift Shop, the kiosk is designed to be quick and intuitive. Anyone with a Barrie Public Library card can scan it to unlock the kiosk, browse the collection, and borrow items in seconds. Once the door closes, books are automatically checked out.
Returns are just as simple. Drop them back in and they’re instantly scanned.
The collection includes popular reads for all ages, offering something engaging whether you’re looking to pass time, unwind, or escape into a story for a while.
Reading as part of healing and wellness
The idea behind the kiosk goes beyond convenience. It reflects a shared belief between RVH and BPL that access to learning, creativity, and calm plays a meaningful role in overall wellness.
“Reading can offer calm, distraction, and hope during challenging moments,” says Lauren Jessop, CEO of the Barrie Public Library. “Bringing a library kiosk to the hospital allows us to support patients, families, staff, and volunteers with easy access to stories, information, and comfort when they need it most.”
RVH leadership echoes that sentiment, noting that partnerships like this help create a more welcoming and supportive environment for everyone who walks through the hospital doors.
No library card? There’s still a book for you
Alongside the kiosk, RVH now also offers a Book Nook.
The Book Nook is a take-a-book, leave-a-book shelf that’s open to everyone, no library card required. It’s another small but thoughtful way to make reading accessible to people spending time at the hospital, whether for an appointment, a long shift, or a loved one’s bedside.
Together, the kiosk and Book Nook help turn quiet moments into opportunities for comfort and connection.
Bringing the library beyond it’s walls
This isn’t the first time Barrie Public Library has brought its services into everyday community spaces. The RVH kiosk joins two others already operating at the East Bayfield Community Centre and the Allandale Recreation Centre.
It’s part of a growing effort to meet people where they are, making library access easier, more flexible, and woven into daily life.
Library memberships remain free for Barrie and Oro-Medonte residents, as well as anyone who works or attends school in Barrie.
For many, this new kiosk may offer a small moment of normalcy in an unfamiliar setting. And sometimes, a good book is exactly what’s needed.
