Program provides Brooklyn neighborhoods with a new transportation resource while raising funds for library services
Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, are expanding their partnership to welcome 12 new Zipcar vehicles at six additional branches, the Library announced today. Walt Whitman, Bushwick, Saratoga, Flatbush, Windsor Terrace and Coney Island libraries will each host two Zipcars, joining Park Slope, Bedford and Bay Ridge as participants in the program. In addition, a third Zipcar has been added to Bedford Library to meet the high demand at the branch. In total, 19 Zipcars are now available for reservation across nine BPL branches.
Library patrons who sign up for Zipcar membership at www.zipcar.com/nycbpl will receive $20 off their first year’s membership fee and $25 to put towards hourly or daily reservations. Zipcars can be reserved by members via the Zipcar smartphone app for Android and iPhone, online at www.zipcar.com or over the phone. Rates start as low as $9.25 per hour and $84 per day and include gas, insurance and 180 miles per day.
Proceeds generated from the rent of parking spaces at each location will fund branch programs. In its first six months, the Zipcar program has funded children’s art classes, adult writing workshops, performances for seniors, financial literacy courses and the purchase of new reading rugs and laptops at Bedford, Park Slope and Bay Ridge.
“Libraries invented the sharing economy,” said Brooklyn Public Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson. “Thanks to our partnership with Zipcar, patrons can support BPL programs and help us purchase materials just by getting where they need to go.”
Along with discounts for BPL patrons, Zipcar will also award 10 free one-year Zipcar for Business memberships to the winners of BPL’s PowerUp! Business Plan Competition, which supports local entrepreneurship. Zipcar for Business is Zipcar’s corporate car sharing program.
“Expanding Zipcar’s partnership with Brooklyn Public Library to six additional branches will provide more area residents access to a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to car ownership,” said Anthony Fatone, Zipcar New York regional general manager. “In addition, proceeds from this expansion will further enable us to give back to an institution that has been instrumental in our goal of making Brooklyn a better place to live.”
In honor of the borough’s rich literary tradition, BPL has named the new Zipcars after authors and literary characters with connections to Brooklyn: H.P. Lovecraft, Francie Nolan, William Styron, Joe Kavalier, Ezra Jack Keats, Bernard Malamud, Maurice Sendak , Alma Singer, Hart Crane, Willy Loman, Rona Jaffe, Quentin Coldwater and Knuffle Bunny.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynlibrary.org.
About Zipcar
Zipcar, the world’s leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout Austria, Canada, France, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Zipcar offers more than 50 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a global leader in vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.
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