The Library Debacle: Opportunity in Disguise?
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I was slightly relieved this morning to read in The Star that instead of killing branches, the library system will have shorter hours at all branches to cut costs. But, before we just cut costs and not think outside the box, is there a hidden opportunity here?
I’m not exactly sure what the library’s biggest line item is, but I’m pretty sure it has to be (if not after employee pay) the costs of maintaining facilities. If that is the case…why not utilize this economic downturn as an opportunity…to increase reach and frequency of readers AND cut costs…OR…dare I say, make money?
Here’s the idea: what if we could put all the book drops and pickups in businesses that already existed, like…Starbucks? Or drycleaners? Or McDonald’s? Or grocery stores? Or churches? Or all the above? The IMCPL online book requesting system is STELLAR - so why not have more places to pick up the books and in turn, you could shut down the facilities, either altogether, or just for the summer? That way, the library system can worry about what it should be worrying about (getting books out to the masses as close to home as possible) and the places the books are maintained (businesses that are ubiquitious) are already maintaining their spaces anyway. AND - dare I say I would by an extra cup o’ Starbucks or a Chai when I was picking up my books? Maybe. It would drive traffic to these sites. And the book checkout system could be totally automatic. (redbox, anyone? Like this one - and it’s even red too!)
Another idea would be to flip it - rent part of the library space out (cheaply) to for profit businesses - like Starbucks, for example, or better yet local coffee and tea places - to put in retail facilities at the branches. Make them drive up. (”Yes, I’d like a latte and to pick up my book and DVD holds, please?”) Now I believe they tried this at Glendale and it didn’t really work - but seriously, that was on the 2nd story of a MALL…not anywhere out in the community where people could drive up.
While we have a beautiful new central library facility, we could keep it open, but shut down the branch buildings and get the info out to the people. And yes, I’m aware that people use the library for other things, like the computers and internet access…I’m still working on that one in my head. BUT, I think as one of my friends wisely posted on Facebook this morning - in desperate times, we are forced to get more creative. Are we taking advantage of the opportunity of forced creativity with our library system?
Posted on: Sunday, July 11, 2010 at 9:01 am 
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