The New York Public Library is introducing a new way for you to get your read on: the “InstaNovel.”
As of Wednesday, the NYPL will begin posting classic novels to its Instagram account, in the form of Instagram stories. The project, called InstaNovels, is deemed a “reimagining of Instagram Stories to provide a new platform for iconic stories.” The InstaNovels were created in conjunction with independent advertising and creative agency, Mother in New York.
The first book to be featured is Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, which has been illustrated by designer Magoz. That will be followed by the short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis in the coming months.
The books will be available as a semi-permanent Instagram Story in the highlights section of the NYPL’s account. In order to read the book, users are instructed to rest their thumb on the lower right part of the screen to hold the page, and then lift to turn the page. According to the NYPL, if a user lifts their finger and lets the pages flip, they’ll see an animation. Eventually, the Instagram account will feature a number of InstaNovels in the highlights section, effectively creating a digital bookshelf.
NYPL hopes to use the new approach to promote reading as well as its brand. “We want people to understand that libraries aren’t just those brick-and-mortar places full of dusty books,” explained Christopher Platt, the NYPL’s chief branch library officer.
