CSLA Blog: Starting Curbside Check out in your library

Now that the school closures are lasting much longer than expected, many schools are starting curbside check out programs. If you are just now developing your curbside program, here are some details that may need to be considered. In Long Beach Unified School District, my site, Lindsey Academy Middle school was selected to be a test site to put into practice the recommended procedures outlined by Crystal Miranda at Library Services.

It may seem like an obviously easy move to make, but there are some behind the scenes hurdles to overcome before starting the program. First and foremost, is it safe, and what are the safety precautions?

Safety Procedures?

Make sure books are safe when library staff processes them for check out by wearing appropriate PPE, including gloves and face mask.

Make sure books are quarantined for 7 days after being returned before being put into circulation again. The basis of this decision is on the REALM Project’s Test 4 results. Returned books are placed in a box and set aside until the following week. A simple cardboard box labeled with the day of the week is used so that no additional materials were needed to be purchased. Returned books are not checked in until after the quarantine so that they do not show as available in the library catalog when students are searching for books until they are actually safe to be checked out again.

Equity?

One of the hurdles to overcome is to make sure that all sites are on board with offering curbside pickups. The procedure had to be approved by all the principals before it was implemented district-wide because we did not want to set up a system that was only available at some sites, creating a "have or have-not" equity issue.

Reserving books?

At the secondary level, students are taught to place a book on hold through the library's catalog system. Long Beach Unified School District uses Follett's Destiny program. Students were provided written procedures and instructions through visits to virtual library classrooms. Some librarians also accept reservations or do reader's advisory on a google form.

What do I do with Elementary Students who can't use the catalog to place holds?

Lisa Litzel at Stephens K-8 school (LBUSD) does live checkouts curbside during the lunchtime food distribution. She sets up 3 carts: TK-1, 2-3, and 4-5. With shelves separated by fiction, series, and nonfiction. Cones are set up to indicate Social distanced spacing. These are the procedures:

Students/ Guardians must be wearing a mask. Students do not need to be present.
Students/ Guardians will stand in a socially distant line.
One student at a time will browse the book carts and point to the books they want. 2 books per student to start.
Staff (wearing masks and gloves) will pull the books for the students and check them out.

Curbside at Stephens K-8

How Many?

It's also important to establish how many books you will allow students to place on hold, and how many books you will allow them to have at one time. Sometimes I cannot locate a book that is being requested, and I want to have backup choices. Also, when a student picks up their first set of holds, I get their second set ready for pick up, which means that they will have double checkouts listed on their account, especially while their returned set is in quarantine. You want to limit the financial liability if a student does not bring back the books, but also may relax your regular restrictions because students will check out books less frequently.

How Long?

You may want to increase your check out period and check out limits since students will want to limit their trips to the school. If a student shows that they can be trusted to bring back books regularly, I increase their check out limit.

How often?

It was important for Library Services to establish how often library staff would be expected to fill holds, as some of our library employees are staffing multiple sites. The following guidelines were recommended in LBUSD by Crystal Miranda, Library Services Coordinator:

2.0 FTE Library Personnel

More than once a week circulation
Allows for recommended decontamination

1.0 FTE Library Personnel

Once a week circulation
Allows for recommended decontamination

.50 FTE Library Personnel

Every other week circulation to equally serve sites
Allows for recommended decontamination

Less than .50 FTE

Schedule dependent on FTE
.30 FTE would translate to 1 circulation day every 3 weeks

How to package the books for pickup?

I print out the check out screen and wrap it around the books with a rubber band, blank side out. The paper maintains student privacy by covering up the book titles. Then I write the student's name on the blank side. I place them on a cart with names facing out. Using a cart makes for easy transportation out to the front of the school. If you are allowing a large number of checkouts per student, you may prefer to package the books in bags if you are available to purchase some. Finding the right size rubber band may be difficult, especially if your school purchases assorted rubber band packs of all different sizes. Office Depot carries Size 32 Rubber Bands, which "stretches easily to 18 inches." according to the package.

How do I notify students that their hold is ready?

Elsa Ouvrard-Prettol, Library & Media Instructor for NCS Libraries sends e-mail notices through their library catalog system. Elsa was kind enough to share her entire procedure on the CALIBK12 Google Group and has given permission to share it HERE (google doc). If you do not have access to an automatic e-mail system, you can also instruct students to view their checkouts in the library catalog. Destiny has this feature under "my info."

How do I manage this huge list of holds?

I recommend printing the list so you can mark it off when a book is pulled, checked out, and picked up. Once you fill a hold, it deletes from your Destiny Screen, so it is nice to have a printed list of the holds you have processed and filled.

Where do I set up my pick up location?

Ideally, you set up where your location is easily visible from the street. I am lucky that my library has outer doors that face the street so it is easy for patrons to see where to pick up their books as they drive by. I can also stay inside my library and continue to teach classes while still keeping an eye on what's going on outside. Many librarians bring out their carts to the lunch service where students are likely to come and pick up books while picking up their lunch. Elsa Ouvrard-Prettol, Library & Media Instructor for NCS Libraries goes so far as to set up a google phone number that patrons can text, and they will bring the books out to the curb!

What if I'm not available to be outside with the books?

Depending on your staffing, you may be able to leave books with the staff in the main office. Your sites may also have staff that can keep working as long as there is work to do, and will be glad to have tasks to keep them busy. Our Recreation Aides who usually monitor the lunch line fill in at the front gate while the regular attendant takes lunch. Make sure you have a backup procedure if you need to be out sick. Also consider what to do if it rains. I can leave my door open, and put the cart inside, sheltered from the rain, but you may need to determine an alternate location in case of weather.

What if a hold is not picked up?

Not all holds are picked up. Sometimes a student wants a book, but the parent is unable to get them to the school during business hours. If you have extra staff available to make phone calls, that helps. Otherwise, it helps to keep track of how long a hold has been ready and then check the books in after a specified number of weeks. You can do this on your hold list, or use a color-coding system. Susan McRoberts at Hamilton Middle School in LBUSD uses a different color pen each week, so she can see at a glance which holds are not being picked up, and how long they have been on the cart.

How do I promote my service?

Virtual Class Visits
Promote on Social Media
Make virtual book displays that link to the records in Destiny
Principal's Newsletters,
School Website
Library Website
Pick up days on the School Marquee
Virtual Library Displays that link to the records in your library catalog: (these are view only in this article)

Elementary Virtual Display by Elsa Ouvrard-Prettol,

Library & Media Instructor for Natomas Charter School

Secondary Virtual Display by Elsa Ouvrard-Prettol,

Library & Media Instructor for Natomas Charter School

Offer incentives:
Some Librarians leave small gifts such as bookmarks or stickers as an incentive for students to keep coming back. I have a book give away zone next to the Holds so that students can also pick up books to keep. This is helpful when families or friends come along but haven't put anything on reserve. Read more about Book Fairies HERE.