ANTONIA KRUPICKA-SMITH
Library Director
Updated technology is on the horizon as we transition to the fall season at the Library. As we finish celebrating our 25th year on Willow, we are doing a refresh to our technologies to ensure we continue to be a leader in serving our community. Here are a couple of things you can look forward to.
New RFID Security Gates
At the beginning of October we will be replacing the RFID Security gates that every patron goes through when entering and exiting the library. These gates serve two purposes for us. First they allow for us to know how many community members are visiting us each day so we can have an idea of our daily usage and how that corresponds with what we are providing in ways of programming and services. Secondly they are a security measure to ensure that all items are checked out and no items are being stolen from the library. Everyone can get a library card and check items out for free, but unfortunately we still experience theft at the library. By putting these gates in, we can ensure we know if items are leaving the library without the intent of being returned.
New Drive Up Book Drop
In December you will see some changes to our drive-up 24 hour book drop. We will be upgrading this services to allow for multiple items to be put through at one time. This should allow for a quicker return process, allowing for you to get on your way faster. This will mean that our current machine will be retiring and there will be a period of time when returns through our drive-up may not be available or may be limited. Look for more information on that closer to December.
New 24 Hour Library Kiosk
This fall you may notice an additional shelter placed along the FIRST AVE trail. This will be the shelter for our new 24 hour Library Kiosk to be installed in late spring 2024. This kiosk will be an automated material dispenser that will allow for the check-out and return of physical library materials 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! This will be a self-service location placed along the FIRST AVE trail that will serve nearby residents in the neighborhood and community members using the trail.
Meeting Room Technology
Lastly, we are working through the logistics of replacing the meeting room technology in meeting rooms A and B. As it is right now, this technology is not ideal for every meeting and we want to best serve the community by installing new audio and visual technology. Look for that to happen mid-year 2024.
We pride ourselves on serving the community and using state of the art technology to do that. I hope you notice these upgrades and find them useful in your experiences using the library. I look forward to feedback from you all on ways we can best serve the community to ensure we continue to be a beneficial community entity.