Oh! The times, they are a'changin'!

I just got back from my local branch library.  At check-out the librarian, helpful and friendly as always, gave me a bookmark detailing a new circulation policy that went into effect just last Thursday.
Here's a copy of the bookmark in living color:

As you can see, the policy relates to how long a borrower may keep materials checked out from the CPL.  I asked, and it turns out that the changes, which are pretty simple, were made in response to feedback from patrons and staff. 

New books now circulate for 2 weeks and can be renewed twice if no one has placed the book on hold. This should lessen the wait time for holds.  I'm hoping this means that I will get the latest John Irving book any week now!

Speed Reads have undergone a name change.  CPL staff member Kelly Linehan told me that to some library users the term “Speed Read” communicated a need for reading speedily. This was never the intention. Kelly said, "Our main goal with Speed Reads was for patrons to skip the network queues for popular titles, and see copies of high demand items on the shelves while browsing."  To emphasize that it's about the speed of getting the book, not reading it, they're changing the name to Express Reads. In addition, these books now  circulate for 2 weeks instead of 1.  As before, renewal is not an option.

There's one final user-friendly change. A book from the General Collection will now circulate for 4 weeks and can be renewed twice if no one has put it on hold. If you compare this to the current policy, you'll see that it adds up to the same amount of total time, provided no one is waiting. But, getting an extra week right off the bat means that you might not have to call or go online to renew.

Isn't nice to have a public library system that not only listens to its patrons but actually acts on our suggestions?

There are always great things happening at the library! For more information on how you can get involved with the Friends and help us to support our Cambridge libraries click here.