[Publib] response summary library closures

[Theyer, Hillary]

Here is a very brief summary of all the great responses I got to asking about closing branches for renovation.

Interior bookdrops to building - close them. You don't know what the building will be like or who will have access at any given time.

Exterior stand-along bookdrops - leave them open and empty regularly, or remove them completely.  Some said locked bookdrops resulted in people just leaving stuff on the doorstep, though some locked them and put up signs directing people to the nearest library.  One mentioned people swore they had put stuff into the bookdrop while the library was closed, though the bookdrop itself had actually been removed.

Most said extended checkouts helped minimize returns, but some said it didn't seem to help.  You will have returns either way, and they have to be stored somewhere until they can be reshelved.  One person commented that extended checkout resulted in a glut of books all at once, while others said that returns stacking up somewhere also resulted in a glut of reshelving all at once.  The new books overflowed due to nobody checking them out during the closure, so I surmise that the glut of returns and nowhere to shelve them until some check out is unavoidable.  Some suggested not extending due dates, but backdating checkin.

Make collection non-requestable, shadow or hide them in the catalog if possible.  Most said this - one system that didn't do that had several weeks of holds to clear upon reopening. (I hadn't thought of that, so thanks!)  One system did this by batch assigning the collection to Technical Services, which is a shadowed location in the catalog.  We are a SIRSI library, so our Support Service Supervisor is contacting them to see what our options are to batch assign the collection.

Have your bookmobile visit the area if you can. (We don't have one, but that's a good idea, especially if your branches are far apart)

A lot of publicity - signs, maps directing people to nearest open location, bookmarks, the more the better.  An ongoing blog or web page changes showing construction photos and progress.  Article in the local paper. Signs for weeks ahead.

Mail to the branch needs to be stopped/held/forwarded somewhere. (I was wondering if the delivery person could just drop it in the bookdrop that we are going to leave open too)

Project manager checks 2 times per day, branch manager may or may not, some said branch manager had to be there a lot to run interference with the public who wanted to follow the construction workers inside and didn't understand why the branch was closed.  Some mentioned having the library represented on site at least 3 or 4 times per day, depending on the work.  Some mentioned the health/safety hazards of having library staff checking on the building when they didn't have to.  Someone else mentioned to be sure the contractor was crystal clear on who represented the client and could make changes, as "staff suggestions" made to workers when staff checked in turned into expensive change orders.  Staff should prepare to return to work before you re-open, probably to a grubby library that is still in the process of being reshelved.

Fines were variously waved always, waved case by case, not waived due to multiple and copious public notice to people.  Most everyone said to assume you would open later than you planned, so if you do extended checkout to extend further than you think you need to.

Assume the books won't be put back on the shelf correctly the first time

Assume you will have to do a lot of shifting

Have cookies and bottled water on hand at the branch for staff stuck there.

Watch everything, measure everything.

Have cell phone numbers of all vendors, installers, contractors. (I assume this means project manager needs a cell phone too ... )

Watch them start and space the tile squares if you are using carpet tile. Make sure they start the way you want.

Consider a rekey after the project as keys get handed out galore and your building may not be secure at the end.

Clean up the branch overall - make new signs, vacuum things, etc.  (this goes along the lines of the many people who said the stuff will get really dirty in the process of packing and moving)

Prepare for:
People to leave branch open/unlocked
Lots of dust and dirt when you return to work there.
The carpet glue sometimes has strong odor
Delivery of wrong parts, or missing pieces.  Late deliveries of stuff that holds up work.  Someone suggested getting together with a nearby hardware store that would let you run a tab - great idea!

Staff should have keys and know where everything is - power, water, gas shut off, lines into the building, etc.

I also found two articles on moving a library:
Door to Door - School Library Journal Feb 95
Moving a Library Collection: Impact on Staff Morale - Journal of Academic Librarianship March 1993

And here are a few more things we thought of here:
Take pictures of everything before the move - in case of damage, breakage, etc.  Have a camera on site at all times to snap anything that happens - cracks discovered under carpet, arrive to find a window broken, etc.
Have a consistent phone number on all PR regarding construction and closure, so patrons don't get bounced around the system to get answers. Have one person give the answers.
Change your phone messages to say you are closed.  Change the main hub phone message to indicate the branch is closed.
Have an emergency call out list specific to the project - all those on that list should have keys to the building, know about the project, etc.

And to the many many people who sent me contact info and invited me to call if I had more questions ... thanks in advance, because I will be taking you up on that!  A full handbook on closing and renovating a branch library, with how-tos, best practices, and checklists may be the result!

Thanks again,
Hillary Theyer
Torrance PL (CA)