The Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area is offering first chapters of books to passengers on its buses and trams.

Glued to their smartphones, public transport users in Clermont-Ferrand ( Puy-de-Dôme ) and the surrounding area have been particularly targeted by a new local authority service. By scanning QR codes located on trams and buses, passengers have been able, since June 30, to discover books on their screens via the "First Chapter" feature, which, as its name suggests, allows you to read the first pages of a book.

"And, if they like the book, they can reserve it directly through the service at the nearest library," explains Céline Teyssier, head of innovative services and library evaluation at Clermont Auvergne Métropole.

While it's still too early to make an initial assessment, the tool could meet many needs. "The idea is to take the library outside its walls, because libraries are always places that we imagine to be quite rigid, but that's not the case ," explains Céline Teyssier. "So we also want to offer this visibility in public spaces. Then, the goal is, of course, to promote reading regardless of the medium. For us, there is no hierarchy between physical and digital books."

The poster campaign near public transport is planned to run throughout the summer to attract these new readers to Clermont-Ferrand. With an additional argument, according to Céline Teyssier: "Promoting library outreach also means showing that libraries can be reached by public transport, since almost all of our libraries are served by a means of transport."

Among the selection of books offered by the librarians, readers will be able to delve into a list of works dedicated to Cézanne, as well as around twenty novels and essays that have won literary prizes this year.