There’ll be no carhops on roller skates. And if you’re hankering for a burger and fries, forget it. But if it’s food for the mind you crave — books, music or movies — staffers at some of the Houston Public Library’s most congested branches will be happy to deliver your order right to your car.
The library’s new curbside service, HPL To Go, is being tested at the Looscan Neighborhood Library and the McGovern-Stella Link Library. If trials go well, the service will be extended to other “parking challenged” branches.
curbside service
McGovern-Stella Link is actually my neighborhood library. It is HPL’s newest full-sized library and it’s wonderful but the parking is always a headache. Part of the problem is the houses across the street have “no parking” signs in front of them and the library shares a parking lot with “Neighborhood Centers” which has a huge parking lot but will tow library patrons who park in their often empty spaces. I have seen lots of people come out of the Neighborhood Centers building and go to their cars in the library spaces.
I really like the thinking behind this service though I shudder to think how much extra work it will make for the branch employees. I will use this service, now I’ll be able to actually pick up my books on my lunch break. A couple of times I had to leave the library without checking out anything because I just could not find a parking space.
So long as they hire enough
So long as they hire enough staff – great! I’d love the “cardio and weight lifting while getting paid” thing.
New hires? You don’t know HPL!
I’m the first anonymous poster, an academic librarian and a former HPL employee. When I worked there the economy was better and they were still dragging their feet on hires to save a little money. In my opinion, there won’t be any new hires to staff this service. The current employees will have to squeeze this in with their other duties. The one thing the system might do is send an employee from a branch that’s closed for renovations to work an understaffed branch (most of the branches have at least one unfilled position.)
GrayArcadian is right to think hiring new people would be the proper thing to do but HPL won’t do it.
Cincinnati Public Library
I believe the Cincinnati public library has a drive through window.