Lockers contribute to increase in library circulation
The Barrington Area Library has seen circulation numbers increase thanks in part to electronic lockers placed in four locations across the 72-square-mile library district.
For the first time, library officials expect to have more than 1 million items checked out within a fiscal year when the time period ends June 30, said library circulation department head Marie Thomas.
Library locale Vincent Bertolami, a library staff member, stocks the newly installed lockers at the South Barrington Club with library materials on March 13.
(Rene Edde/for STM)
“We’ve never had this many books checked out before,” she said.
Library officials believe the electronic lockers have helped increase the circulation numbers because they allow residents to order books, DVDs and other materials through the library’s Web site, and the materials are delivered to a locker where residents can pick them up at their convenience without having to make a trip to the library.
The electronic lockers are manufactured by LEID Products, LLC, based in Auburn Hills, Mich.
Thomas said the lockers are especially useful in such a vast library district. The Barrington Area Library district is the largest geographic library district in Illinois.
“This is a way for people to get their stuff so they’re not spending 20 minutes to get to the library,” Thomas said.
There are six lockers at Barrington Hills Village Hall, 14 at the Metra Train Station in downtown Barrington, 37 lockers at Willow Recreation Center in Hoffman Estates and in January 40 lockers were installed at the South Barrington Club, 3 Tennis Club Lane.
If an item is in stock, it is usually delivered to the lockers one or two days after it is ordered, Thomas said.
“We deliver anything we have that will fit into the boxes,” she said.
For February there were 676 orders placed and 2,288 items delivered to the lockers. This was up from February 2009 when there were 537 orders and 1,768 items delivered.
Thomas said the library delivered items to the South Barrington Club prior to the installation of the lockers, but the items were kept in the offices of the South Barrington Park District until patrons picked them up.
For more information visit www.barringtonarealibrary.org.
