Chapter 3. Setting the Stage for the First Free Reading Zone

Abstract

Chapter 3 of Library Technology Reports (vol. 53, no. 7), “Free Reading Zones: Transforming Access to Books through Technology”

Chapter 3 of this issue of Library Technology Reports (vol. 53, no. 7), “Free Reading Zones: Transforming Access to Books through Technology,” explores how a small private business could be turned into an impressive virtual library through the use of technology—the kind of library that allows users to have access to knowledge in ways they couldn’t fathom in the past. Roncevic explains how she launched her first Free Reading Zone (FREZ) in a small European café in September of 2016 and gives an overview of how she planned to launch a FREZ for the whole country of Croatia. The chapter describes why the country of Croatia was chosen for the first FREZ, the technology and app behind the virtual library, and the marketing and launch of the initiative.