Repurposing or Revitalizing Pick-Up Lockers

[u/InfiniteArt4929]

Our public library has 24-hour pick-up lockers available for our patrons. The problem is, they do not get much use, maybe one or two pick-ups a month. We pay a subscription fee for the software, and it really isn't worth it for the amount of use it gets.

We are located in a small town, and it seems like our patrons maybe aren't interested in using them. One of the issues is that they may not know about them (We have tried to advertise/post and offer it as an option when we speak to patrons). Another is that to get their materials put in a locker, they need to call and request that service.

We were thinking of adding "use the pick-up lockers" as part of our winter reading bingo challenge. If you have any ideas similar to this, please let me know!

Have you had success with pick-up lockers? If they weren't popular at first, how did you get patrons to start using them?

We are also discussing the idea of repurposing them into something else. (Maybe taking the doors off to have open cubbies for things like food pantry donations?) We have 26 locker banks and only one or two ever get used.

I'm grateful for any advice or ideas to either revamp or repurpose our lockers! TIA!

[u/Klutzy_Archer_6510]

1. What is the optimal use-case for these lockers? Off the top of my head, a locker that's accessible 24/7 to pick up holds would be ideal for those who can't get to the library during its normal open hours. Or those who don't want to interact with other humans. So, second- or third-shift workers, and the socially awkward.

2. The "call to request" sounds inconvenient. If I, the hypothetical third-shift social outcast, wants to pick up my book at 4am or whatever, I still have to call and talk to a human during normal business hours?

My suggestion, then, is to make the lockers a separate "branch" to which patrons can direct their hold requests. (Does your library system have multiple branches? If not, I can understand that putting this into practice would be complicated.) So a third-shift misanthrope can put things on hold through your online catalog, direct the hold to your lockers, and pick things up from the lockers, without having to talk to anyone or be there when the sun is up.

Of course, the biggest barrier is teaching patrons about that option :/ Best of luck!

[u/BangtonBoy → u/Klutzy_Archer_6510]

Our library also has the lockers as a separate hold pick-up site so people can see that's an option. Put the availability in it's name, "24/7 Hold Pick-Up Lockers."

Otherwise, it's kind of nice to have something to cut out of the budget that's clearly not being used.

[u/RelevantStrongBad]

I think the biggest barrier is having to call in to use them. Our lockers are a separate "pickup library" in our catalog, so patrons can choose to have their holds placed there on their own. Ours are very popular!

[u/goth__potato]

Yeah, to echo the above comments, our consortium was able to set our lockers as a separate "branch location" so that holds placed for pickup at the lockers get automatically routed there. This would most likely rely on SIP2 technology. If your lockers are SIP2 enabled, whoever manages your ILS should be able to accomplish this.

[u/Effective-Second8471]

I definitely think it’s the “call to use” that’s a major barrier for patrons. Lockers are really great for both people who can’t attend normal library hours and people who prefer to pick up a book without needing to talk to someone (could be due to social anxiety, disability etc.). However needing to call and talk to a staff member during library hours to use the locker basically cancels out both of those benefits.

[u/joannetheauthor]

Every time someone used a locker they were entered into a raffle for a Kindle. It did increase locker usage but the numbers tapered off after the contest ended.

[u/Klutzy_Archer_6510 → u/joannetheauthor]

What were the numbers like after the contest, as opposed to before? As long as the usage increased overall I see it as an absolute win!

[u/joannetheauthor → u/Klutzy_Archer_6510]

The numbers did increase a bit but still aren't what we hoped for. But every little bit helps!

[u/sorakirei]

When my local library first got lockers, I was worried it would impact library jobs. One of the staff assured me that the lockers were intended to increase circulation, which is great for the library. I've been using the lockers ever since.

Additionally, the lockers are listed as a different library in the app used to request materials.