Library lets patrons check out books from their cars

Friday, May 22, 2009

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'I'll take one Nora Roberts and one Dan Brown to go, please.'

LARGO (Bay News 9) -- One Bay area city is giving readers a way to enjoy books for free - without setting foot inside a library.

When most people think of drive-through service, they think of hamburgers and fries. But now, patrons of the Largo Public Library can order books the same way they do their banking and order their food - from their cars.

Library clerk Shelly Powell can serve patrons who drive up with a book, or they can leave one with her. They can also check out DVDs, pay fines and sign up for a library card without ever going inside.

The drive-through system is linked up to the library's Web site. To use the service, a patron should go to the site, search for what he wants and then make his request the day before. Then all he has to do is drive over and pick up his order.

Library director Casey McPhee thought of the idea, and it has become a big success.

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"We've seen probably 13,000 transactions go through the drive-through since we opened in January, which is quite a lot." McPhee said.

McPhee said the busiest times for the drive-through are during lunch time and when people are getting off work.

For people like Suzanne Pritz, the service is a big help.

"I have a cane and a handicap sticker, and even though handicap stickers are up front, it's still a walk to get into the library," she said.

Others love the service because it's a time saver.

"Most of the time when you're dropping off a book, that's what you're doing dropping it off on an errand," Peggy Hughes said. "I think it's a very nice convenience."

Some even use the opportunity to crack jokes.

"It's like, 'Where's the cappuccino? Can I have a latte please?'" Powell said. "We even have some dog biscuits for the dogs because they were literally trying to climb through the drawer, thinking they're at the bank."