Off the Shelf: If the Bridgeport Library Doesn't Have it, Chances Increase this Option will Get it For You
By Sharon Saye on November 13, 2019 from Off the Shelf
As many of the users of the library have noticed there have been numerous city trucks in the library’s parking lot, as well as detour signs. So, what is going on?
There was a small walled patio with a picnic bench attached off the offices on the entry side of the building. When this was the AllState Insurance Claims building it was just off the staff lounge and they used it for lunches. The library staff is much smaller and has made little use of this area.
The Marion County Public Library and the Bridgeport Public Library have formed a consortium to exchange materials; we have been doing this since last April. And it has grown increasingly popular starting out with less than 400 items traveling between the libraries per month, and now up to over 800. Hopefully, we will have another library joining within the next six months, tripling the amount of materials available.
When you look at the library’s online catalog, it also shows you materials from Marion County. If one library does not have a book and the other does, or if it is checked out at one library, it can be borrowed from the other. Each library has well over 100,000 items including books, audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs, etc. and almost everything is eligible to be borrowed by the other, vastly expanding the amount of volumes available to each. All it requires is for you to make a hold request from your computer or from one in the library. You can do this from home, just follow instructions and have your library card handy; if you need help for this, just ask the desk staff, it is very easy.
Materials are retrieved and placed in bins; on Mondays and Thursdays, Marion County sends their van to drop off and pick up the bins. As you can expect, what started out with only a few bins has now grown to 3-6 bins per visit, and we expect that to continue to expand as the word gets out and we add an additional library.
So, we needed a larger space to stash these bins than in Amy’s office and it was getting cumbersome moving all these bins in and out the back door. The unused patio drew attention since it also has a door into the office next to it. And for that reason, Public Works has removed the wall and the picnic bench on the patio area and has paved the area so the Marion County van can pull straight up to the side of the building and unload without blocking traffic.
This project went very fast and we want to thank everyone at Public Works for making this possible. I was expecting this to be a spring or summer project, but I am pleasantly surprised. So, don’t be surprised that the driveway seems bigger and the curbs have changed. Just remind yourself that now you have access to over double the items.
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