Public library redo speeds service for holds

When Nancy Cooke was on vacation in New York City earlier this month, the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library specialist just had to pop into one of the city’s 90 library branches to check out how the “big-city kids” were doing things.

It turns out, the Corvallis library’s recent updates are right on track with what libraries in the Big Apple are doing — making it faster and easier for patrons to pick up and check out their loan items.

“What’s fun for us is it mixes our job up more,” said Cooke. Instead of standing behind a desk all day, she and fellow library employees are getting the chance to interact more with the public.

Last month, the library closed for two days for some remodeling to the main lobby. The circulation desk and several nonstructural columns were removed. In their place, shelving units with “hold” items have been set up to enable patrons to find and check out their own hold items instead of involving library personnel.

Cooke, who was spending Tuesday afternoon placing hold items on the shelves, said the demand for the service has been booming — and just in time. Librarians were beginning to run out of room for storing ordered hold items behind the counter.

Because picking up hold items was often the reason that patrons came to the circulation desk, long lines often formed. Now that patrons are able to access the hold shelves themselves, those lines have disappeared.

“The idea was to give more access to patrons,” Cooke said. “They can check out an item and be gone really fast.”

The new system hasn’t reduced library employees’ hours or responsibilities; it’s simply freed them up to be able to spend more time on the floor, working with patrons who want or need help.

“It’s nice for our job, and for the public,” Cooke said. “They get their questions answered quicker. It makes a difference.”

Library volunteer and avid reader Taryn Bazurto was flying through a huge stack of books at one of the two self-checkout stations.

Two more stations will be joining the first two by the end of the year.

“I really like this a lot,” said Bazurto, whose stack of books made its way into a large bag within seconds.

At the other checkout station, Nanette Dupuy was helping her daughter, Claire, 6, and Claire’s friend Calvin Cahill, also 6, check out books and movies.

On average, the family visits the library two to three times a month, often for children’s films, and Dupuy said she likes the ease and convenience of the self-checkout system.

“I appreciate it,” Dupuy said. “We’re very happy with this library. I used to live in Jersey, and this library is even better.”