Drop/pickup boxes on BKM routes

[Mike Cleaves]

Has anyone tried using rural drop boxes (or even lockers) as part of their bookmobile service model? We’ve been discussing the idea of placing secure return boxes, or potentially locker-style pickup points for holds, where patrons could not only return materials but also pick up holds in between scheduled visits.

I’d love to hear from others:

• How did you fund it? Thinking maybe a rental fee that gives you access with a key, like a post office box...this could get tricky as a non profit however. 

• What was the approximate cost, and where did you source them?

• What strategies are you using? Strictly in rural areas, or more widely across your community?

• Has this approach increased engagement in communities outside your regular stop schedule?

We see this as a potential way to expand access and visibility in areas we can’t visit as often with the bookmobile, while still keeping a connection with patrons.

Would love to know if anyone else has tried this technique and what lessons you learned. 

[communityoutreachservicespwpl]

Not for hold buts we do have book drops throughout the county in different locations. This is not a part of the bookmobile's schedule but the courier department (who delivers materials back and forth to different branches for holds). At least one at a park in a rural area and then one in a downtown city spot. 

-Rachel 

[Mary Beth Adams]

We have 24/7 lockers at one of our branches. We'd love to expand it to other locations, but that is a long-range plan! 

The lockers work like this: holds come in for those lockers. We check them in to the locker system. We take them outside to the lockers. We use our admin login to fill the lockers (or take out books if they aren't picked up during the hold window, which is 3 days). 

When a patron comes, they scan their card or enter their number. Their locker opens up, and when they take the books and close the door, the books are checked out to them.

Ours doesn't have a return area, because it is right beside a book drop.

If someone has overdue books or owes money for lost books, they have to come in to get their holds. We have to call them to let them know where their holds will be.

We also have to call people sometimes because the lockers are full, and their holds are being held inside.

Someone from the library would have to visit the lockers several times a week, if not every day.  Ours are serviced every day. You could spread that out, but the volume might be a lot! I'd worry about the return bin filling up and then people would pile them up in front (because, let's face it, they're not going to come back to return a book, they're just going to leave it there).

If the locker malfunctions, who do they call, and when can that person get them their books?

The cost of the lockers - I don't know that.

I know that if we do add lockers in a remote location, we'd add a carousel of popular books as well as part of the machine, so people without holds could pick up something when they're in the area, as well as a return bin. 

Mary Beth Adams

Community Engagement Librarian

Alamance County Public Libraries

(336) 570-6981

 

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[Denise Sticha]

While we didn't do drop-boxes in relation to our bookmobile outreach, each of our branches offer what we call "after-hour pick up lockers." Patrons can request to have their holds put in the lockers so they can pick them up at their convenience. Attached is a picture of one of our setups - you can see that it is a very homegrown approach. We use small locks that use a code which we text or email to the patron.  These are pretty popular with our patrons. 

I can say that we have been talking about placing more locker setups in other places within our service area that are a distance from our local branches, but haven't resolved the issue of how people can get items returned back to us.  That seems to be a bit of a stumbling block, since we don't have the budget to purchase a lot of book drops to place along with the locker.

Denise 

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