If you’re not done reading a library book by the time it’s due back, now it won’t take any extra effort to keep hold of it awhile longer.
Patrons of the Johnson County Public Library will no longer have to go to the library to extend their check-out period, as the library system is debuting automatic renewal.
Under automatic renewal, readers get an automatic extension for up to four renewal periods. If the check-out period for a book or movie is one week, for example, an additional four weeks will be automatically added, as long as another patron doesn’t request the item. By using this system, library officials hope to encourage more people to borrow books, movies and music without having to worry about late fees if they don’t return them right away, said Lisa Lintner, the library system’s director.
“For our strategic plan, we’ve looked at barriers to service. People are so busy and have multiple due dates they’re trying to juggle. Our staff was thinking auto-renewal would be a benefit to customers,” Lintner said.
Some higher-value items, like digital programs, newly-released books and DVDs, museum passes, enchroma glasses for colorblind people and Wi-Fi hotspots are not eligible for the automatic renewal system. And if someone requests an item, the library patron who has it in their possession will get an email or text alerting them that they won’t be granted another renewal, she said.
The Greenwood Public Library started automatic renewal last year, and the results have been overwhelmingly positive, Executive Director Cheryl Dobbs said.
“They can have more time to finish books,” Dobbs said. “Our goal is to encourage reading and make it as easy as it can be.”
In order to further encourage reading, the Greenwood Public Library nixed its late fee system last year. The Johnson County Public Library allows patrons who have returned items late to erase their debt through reading as long as the item is not lost or damaged. Each hour of reading at the library decreases the fee by $4, Lintner said.
“If there is a barrier to pay, they can read down their fines up to $4 an hour,” Lintner said. “A lot of people take advantage.”
Library patrons can opt out of the service if they want to, in which case they’ll have to renew their materials by its due date in person at a library if they need more time. Lintner isn’t worried about the possibility of people forgetting to return items under the automatic renewal system, as most people return an item within days of their first renewal, Lintner said.
“We are excited to provide this service to our patrons,” Lintner said in an email. “As we continually evaluate how to best carry out our mission to connect residents with resources, we feel that offering auto-renewal will make the library more accessible and convenient.”
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All items at the Johnson County Public Library are eligible for automatic renewal except:
- Experience (museum, pool) passes
- Newly-released DVDs and books
- Pocket WiFi hotspots
- Enchroma glasses
- All digital resources
- Interlibrary loan materials
- Items that are quested by another patron
- Items that have hit reached renewal limit
Source: Johnson County Public Library
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