[Publib] Book Club in a Bag kits

[Rebekkah Smith Aldrich (MHLS)]

Hi Jessi,

At the Mid-Hudson Library System we have a Book Club in a Bag Program (BCB):

  a.. Borrowing information for patrons:
http://midhudson.org/program/BCB/main.htm
  b.. Staff Support Page: http://midhudson.org/program/BCB/staff.htm
In answer to your questions:

1. What kind of bags work best: cloth? plastic? size? zipper? Bags are sent
through our delivery system to 70 different buildings, we've found that
cloth bags that zipper at the top have worked out well.

2. Do you use generic bags, or did you have them customed printed? Custom
printed by Janway. The program logo is on the front.

3. How do you store or display the kits?  How did you label them so you can
identify the contents without looking inside the bag? Bags are stored
centrally at system headquarters, on a shelf with laminated luggage tags
with the name of the kit, kit contents and a barcode.
4. Where did you buy your bags? Janway

5. How did you advertise the bags to the public? Patrons can view the
avaialable kits online through the program web site
[http://midhudson.org/program/BCB/main.htm] which many member libraries link
to directly or find them through searching our OPAC, we added "book club in
a bag" as a material type in the catalog
[http://gigcat.midhudson.org/screens/mattype.html] Since the bags are not
housed in member library buildings we did a number of things to help get the
word out in local libraries: posters, color print out of available titles
with book jackets, periodic press releases, display bag in the libraries...
Best advertising? Regular advertising to member library frontline staff -
they have the most contact with people who would be interested in the kits
and their ability to promote the program via word of mouth is the best way
to get the word out.
6. How many bags do you have? 80+

7. How are your circ stats? Depends on the titles. Some are booked up for a
year in advance (at 6 week intervals) others go out maybe twice a year.


-Rebekkah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rebekkah Smith Aldrich, Coordinator of Member Information
Mid-Hudson Library System
103 Market Street
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845.471.6060 x39
FX: 845.454.5940
http://midhudson.org

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