Library renovation to begin in October

My mom called me up out of the blue one day and complained to me that her local library (not ICPL) was relying too much on self-check outs and there were never people available at the desk when she wanted to check out there. She said she really missed this patron-librarian interaction, even if it was just to say hello whenever she stopped in. When I heard you were getting rid of your front desk, I became worried that the same type of thing will happen at ICPL. I REALLY hope your combined fiction/check-out desk does not deter people with long lines or constant busyness from stopping by with a quick question or from wanting to check out there. That would be incredibly disappointing.

Thank you so much for your comment. Offering a single HELP Desk at our entrance will allow more ICPL staff to be out in the Library, helping patrons who may have questions in the stacks or those walking around looking for something in the Library. Our staff will be available and ready to help at the HELP Desk as well. Just look for anyone with a name badge/lanyard on. We continue to offer more services beyond checking out at the self-check stations. You can now look up your holds, pay a fine, etc. at self-check stations. We see these services being increasingly utilized by our patrons. We also plan to have additional staff members stationed near the self-check stations in weeks to come to assist patrons with using the self-check stations and the new DVD unlocking systems. We hope our visitors to the Iowa City Library find these changes will make the Library more accessible and even easier to use in the future.