As we prepare for a June 1 reopen of our physical locations, the Kansas City Public Library is making some changes to our popular Pop In / Pick Up holds service.

“We started Pop In / Pick Up early in the pandemic,” says April Roy, director of the Library’s Plaza location and the librarian responsible for developing the Pop In / Pick Up service. “It was designed to be contact-free. We wanted patrons to be able to place and pick up holds in a way that was safe and convenient for them and for our staff.”

As the pandemic has waned, the focus has shifted to restoring services and improving access.

Starting May 17, 2021, patrons will no longer need to call or text before entering the Library to retrieve their holds or pick up remote printing documents. (The Trails West Branch will be undergoing interior upgrades that will impact their services; learn more here.)

“It will work much the same way it did before the pandemic,” says Joel Jones, deputy director for library services. “Patrons will walk in, go to the holds shelf, retrieve their books, and check them out.”

But it won’t be exactly the same.

The Library is working to improve access to holds across our 10 locations.

“In buildings where holds were housed near the back, those shelves have been moved closer to the front of the building,” Roy said. “We did that for patrons who want to come in and get their books, but maybe they don’t want to go deeper in the building or be around a lot of other people.”

Self-checkout machines are being added or relocated at several locations, but patrons can still visit the information desk to checkout materials.

“When patrons come in to get their holds on May 17, they might also notice a small browsing section,” Roy said. “They won’t be able to browse the entire collection until June 1, but they will have access to an assortment of new and popular books.” The change will also impact remote printing. Patrons who send documents from home will now be able to access those documents directly from the library’s printers.

NOTES:

• Only holds and remote print jobs will be available on a walk-in basis starting May 17. General browsing will be permitted starting June 1.
• Holds services at the Trails West Branch will be impacted by interior renovations; visit their page for details.

Learn More About Pop In/Pick Up