FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Beginning Monday, March 11, the Allen County Public Library’s (ACPL) Dupont Branch will launch a pilot program featuring 24/7 holds lockers.
The new machines will allow patrons to pick up their previously reserved holds from secure lockers outside of the branch any time of the day or night.
ACPL representatives released the following:
The new holds lockers can accommodate hundreds of items across 53 lockers of varying sizes. Patrons may search for items and place holds online at www.acpl.info or via the ACPL Mobile app. When they have identified their items, they should select the pick-up location as “Dupont Holds Locker”. Their items will be routed from across the ACPL system to the Dupont Branch where staff will place them in the secure lockers as availability allows. Patrons will be notified when their holds are ready for pick-up. Patrons may pick up their items at any time by scanning their library cards at the lockers and following the prompts. The lockers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of library operating hours. Items will be held in the lockers for up to seven days for patrons to pick up.
“The addition of 24/7 holds lockers at our Dupont Branch is a critical step in our efforts to meet patrons where they are,” said ACPL Chief Operating Officer Kim Bolan. “Books and materials are still our core business, but the ways in which the community wants to access them is always evolving. It is our job to stay in front of those trends and leverage technology where it makes sense.”
In its 2024-28 strategic plan “Windows to Lifelong Learning and Discovery” (released in October of 2023), the ACPL highlighted a strategic goal of “Leading through innovation by streamlining patron access to information and services.” In that plan, 24/7 holds pick-up was specifically named as a technology that would provide the community with additional access to services.
“We know patrons want more options to access our collection when it is convenient for them,” said Dupont Branch Manager Erin Warzala. “24/7 holds lockers let us extend our access to materials and service to the community through technology, and offer a tangible example of our strategic efforts coming to fruition.”
This change will extend the pick-up service of one of the ACPL’s busiest branches. The Dupont location’s holds circulation usage is second only to the Main Library.
Some items, including oversized books, hotspots, interlibrary loans, and Library of Things items cannot be placed in the lockers. More information is available here.
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