Interactive story dispenser introduced at Mattapoisett Library
Short stories from an interactive story dispenser can be found at the Mattapoisett Library. Photos by Mari Huglin 
Short stories can be left for other patrons to enjoy. 
The Mattapoisett Library introduced the dispenser in early spring. 
There are three buttons for three different age groups for stories. 
The dispenser is at the perfect height for children to enjoy. 
Parents and adults can also participate in the story dispenser. 
The machine spits out an original, author submitted short story or poem. 
The Mattapoisett Library plays host to this machine. 
The machine is eco-friendly and uses heat to print the stories, not ink. 
Stories for all ages can be found. 
The company is French that created the dispenser.
Short stories from an interactive story dispenser can be found at the Mattapoisett Library. Photos by Mari Huglin
Short stories can be left for other patrons to enjoy.
The Mattapoisett Library introduced the dispenser in early spring.
There are three buttons for three different age groups for stories.
The dispenser is at the perfect height for children to enjoy.
Parents and adults can also participate in the story dispenser.
The machine spits out an original, author submitted short story or poem.
The Mattapoisett Library plays host to this machine.
The machine is eco-friendly and uses heat to print the stories, not ink.
Stories for all ages can be found.
The company is French that created the dispenser.
MATTAPOISETT — With the press of a button, a large receipt-like piece of paper inches out of a cylindrical machine in the lobby of the Mattapoisett Library. It keeps going until the paper curls and hits the floor, bearing a freshly-printed short story.
The story is one of many short pieces of literature stored in the machine’s database. The library purchased the five-foot-tall Short Édition machine, which dispenses classic and original short stories and poems for free, as a way to make the space more interactive and intergenerational.
Participants can choose from three different buttons for stories and poems organized by age— children, young adult or adult. The stories can be left at the library or taken home to read.
Stories range from one- to five-minute reads, sourced from a collection of classic literature and work submitted from around the world.
None of the stories or poems are written by artificial intelligence. To submit stories, authors can upload their work to the Short Édition website or scan a QR code at the library.
Library Director Jenny Martin said the library purchased the machine after former Director Susan Pizzolato secured a grant for it.
Martin said she has seen positive reactions and excitement from the community, with some children making a “beeline” for the dispenser right when they enter the library.
“I think people have enjoyed the novelty of it and seeing what they'll get and I think they're gonna love it even more when it's community stories,” Martin said.
She said the dispenser connects the community and brings people of different ages together. Children, siblings, parents and grandparents can all enjoy separate stories but read them together.
Martin hopes local writers will submit stories that can spread area history and cause “delightful moments of connection.”
“I can see someone pushing the button and then getting a story and being like ‘I know that person, that's my neighbor or that's my aunt,’ or seeing who wrote the story,” Martin said.
Ann Schattle, head of circulation services,said she has enjoyed the implementation of the machine too.
“It's been really delightful to watch people discover it and first see a strange contraption in the library,” Schattle said.
The machine is sustainable and eco-friendly, since it dispenses fully recyclable and compostable paper. It doesn’t need ink or toner cartridges since the dispenser uses heat to print on temperature-sensitive paper.
The library often does themed stories to celebrate certain months like Women’s History, Black History and National Poetry Month.
Schattle said the printed stories are a low-stakes way to get people reading and involved at the library.
“It's a unique offering and it's another way for people to use the library without having to have the responsibility of bringing something back,” Schattle said.
