The Jyväskylä City Library tested a Kirjasto kotiin (or Library to Your Home) service, in which library customers delivered library materials to each other for a small fee. For the customer, the service was free. How did it work out?
The Jyväskylä City Library tested a Kirjasto kotiin (or Library to Your Home) service, in which library customers delivered library materials to each other for a small fee. For the customer, the service was free. How did it work out?
What kind of feedback have you received on the experiment, Juha Halinen, Web Service Designer at Jyväskylä City Library?
“Practically all the feedback has been positive. The customers who ordered the service were satisfied and hoped it would continue. The collection of due books from home was the most popular form of service.”
How many people signed up to deliver books, and who were they?
A total of 140 people signed up. About 20 of them were active and carried out 90% of the deliveries. We are carrying out a survey on the service, but based on the preliminary results, the couriers were primarily female (83%). They were active cyclists and their main motive was an interest in trying something new. Most of them were 25–35 years old.
How much were the people paid?
The normal fee was 2 euros, and a little more for a longer trip (max. 5 euros).
How many loans were made?
“The number of deliveries was about 100, half of which were home deliveries and the other half deliveries of due books to the library. (The number of individual loans was therefore a few hundred).”
Were the deliveries made on time?
“Yes, they were. To ensure that the deliveries would reach the customers on time, we had a local pizza delivery employee on call. He made a few deliveries when no couriers were available. On the other hand, the number of people who volunteered was more than we needed.”
Could this service replace a library bus?
“I don’t think so. Library buses serve customers who like to browse the material selection of the bus and choose their loans themselves. ”
Were there any surprises? Problems?
“There were small surprises along the line, but that’s what you’re trying to weed out in a pilot project. The biggest surprise was that there were more volunteers than customers interested in the service. According to the customers who said they did not need the service, the reason was that they liked to visit the library in person.
Did you lose any materials?
“No we didn’t.”
How did you ensure that the people making deliveries did not see what the customers’ loans were?
“The library personnel packed the loans in reusable RePack bags and sealed the bags with stickers.”
Will the service continue, and if so, will it continue like this or will there be any changes?
“The customer survey is still in progress, and there will still be a report and conclusions to be made. I don’t think the service will continue in exactly the same format, because it causes quite a lot of extra work for the library personnel. The service would also require increased automation in the library system. Based on the preliminary results of the survey, the customers who use the service would be prepared to pay a euro or two for the delivery. Another question is whether it would be enough for the couriers when the novelty wears off. We are also looking into how we could reach the elderly and the mobility impaired by e.g. integrating the system with home care services. This customer group was not sufficiently represented in the experiment. Some of them also found the registration with the PiggyBaggy web service and the use of the Internet in general quite difficult and complicated. ”
