A new service at the Benton branch of Marshall County Public Library is making contactless pickup a lot more convenient for patrons whose schedules don’t align with regular library hours.
After-hours pickup is a simple and effective way to make library material as accessible as possible to patrons, without the stress of being on a time crunch, and is available at MCPL now.
Due to the number of COVID-19 cases currently active in Marshall County, the library is operating on reduced hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday) and is only offering curbside service to patrons until further notice. After-hours pickup is just another way the library is adapting in the midst of uncertain circumstances to best fit the needs of the community.
“What we have found during this time of being open during a pandemic is that we need to always meet the needs of our patrons,” said Benton Branch Manager Lenisa Jones. “The idea for an after hours pick up has come up several times and with us unable to provide evening hours currently, this seemed like the perfect solution to get library material to our population of working patrons.”
The process is as simple as requesting items to be left in the library lobby, entering with a keycode provided by library staff, grabbing the material off the pickup cart, and going home.
“Our number one goal is making library services and materials available to everyone,” said Library Director Tammy Blackwell. “After-hours pick-up gives busy individuals an opportunity to check out items from the library even when we have to operate on reduced hours.”
To place items on hold, go to marshallcolibrary.org and fill out a curbside request form, or call the library at (270) 527-9969 for help or additional questions about after-hours service.