Library2020

Found it. The book I was looking for. Of course, its in the right section as my friendly librarian cataloged and shelved it. I like the review the librarian has left. It sounds good. I’ll definitely get that out. Now, while I’m here, I wonder what other patrons have read on the back of reading this one, and I wonder what the author says about it, why she wrote it..

Patron reaches for the handheld device that was given to her when she walked in. Power On and scans the book. Beep.

Up pops the book cover, title, ISBN.. Yes, thats the one.. now, what was it I wanted to know.. Yes, more about the author and what other people thought of it. Tap, scroll. Reviews.. A video clip of the author, brill. Recommended reading.. Now thats interesting.. What section is that in, and its in stock, great.. This *IS* a handy little device.

Walking out of the library, she hands back the device to Julie (the librarian) – thanks, that was great.. “Remember, you can get all this information on-line too! The address is inside the front cover of the book.” – Great!

Is this feasible, could libraries do something like this? Even a standalone version would be great.. but do you think people would use it?

Many libraries now offer this facility. Patrons are able to renew, order, reserve and in some cases update their details on-line with no more than their library number and a password. But do they use it? Do patrons know it really exists? Some libraries offer an automated telephone system too, for people that don’t have access to a computer at home, but do patrons know about this service? How is it sold in the library?

 My local library is quite new, it has self service machines (more on that in another post), Internet connectivity, new-ish stock and is nicely designed – but when I check my books out, nobody mentions to me about the automated service, the on-line catalogue, the on-line renewal system.. Maybe when staff are checking books, they could use the information about the patron and tell them about other services? Do you think this would be feasible?

“I noticed that you returned your books late last week sir, did you know you can subscribe to automated reminder emails or a telephone reminder? I could show you how it works now if you want, or if you prefer, here’s a leaflet on it. We’ve got plenty more info on our website..”

“I also notice that you’re fond of technology books, have you checked out the technology section of our on-line catalogue, you can review titles before coming in to collect”

That said, I know library staff are busy people. So here’s another idea, every-time a book is checked out at the counter, insert a little leaflet/sticker (nice and small) that tells the user they could renew this book online or by phone, over time, all of the books could have this information on the inside cover.

Just some ideas…

I like to visit my local bookshop every few weeks, the stock changes regularly and I like the displays of new books and the increasing selection of books by local authors. One thing I really like is the idea of ‘book reviews’ in-store. Every few shelves there’s a little postcard, handwritten by a member of staff, reviewing a title. The reviewer often provides other recommendations to the reader, which I (sometimes) find interesting. Being cynical, this could be a marketing ploy, to try and up-sell certain titles or cross-sell, but even if it is, it adds a bit of the human touch.. the handwritten card, the name, the fact I could go and find the member of staff (which I sometimes do) it all adds something to the experience. I’ve been to one library that did something similar, often as a result of book group meetings. Do most libraries do this sort of thing?

If the library collate these reviews, they could add them to their website and link them to to the library catalogue..