Waiting for the latest Louise Penny or C.J. Box book can be frustrating, but there are a few ways you can help shorten that wait! The library purchases one print copy for every 5 holds on a title. For our most popular authors, we might purchase 20+ copies of their books! This is largely thanks to the Friends of the Library who provide supplemental funding to bring you copies of popular books. You can help the library provide popular materials more quickly, and help us be more frugal by doing the following:

• DO NOT place holds on more than one material type for the same title for yourself. For instance, don’t place a hold on a large print and regular print title. When we look at the holds report, we count this as needing additional copies for both – creating more spending and longer waits for everyone. This goes for doubling down on eBooks too – more on that below.
• If you just couldn’t wait to read J.A. Jance’s latest and picked it up at Costco on an impulse, please cancel your hold. Leaving your hold in place skews our purchasing response and slows the delivery process for other patrons.
• If you purchase a copy of a hot title, consider donating it to the library when you are finished. We’ll get it right into circulation!
• When you are notified that your book is ready, pick it up as soon as possible. Holds expire on the shelf after 10 days, but if you wait for those 10 days, that delays another patron getting the book.
• If you finish the book before its due date, please return it promptly so we can move it along to the next patron.
• Finally, if you can quickly devour a good book, check our Lucky Day collection often. Lucky Day books are copies of the hottest titles, but no holds are allowed on this small collection. They check out for 7 days only and when you do check them out, that will cancel your hold on the title. The Lucky Day collection is just inside the 1st floor entrance and it changes hourly! You just might hit the jackpot for something you have been waiting for.

A word on eBooks…..

Popular titles in eBook and downloadable audiobook can cost $90 or more for a single license. Licensing requirements from publishers mean that we can only loan that title to one person at a time. We simply don’t have the budget to purchase as many copies of popular titles in eBook format as we do in print, but we do use run reports and order additional downloadable copies based on holds to copies ratios. Please keep in mind that staff at the Ask a Librarian Desk can offer some help with discovering popular titles through a lending agreement we have with other library networks.

While you wait…..

Librarians at the Ask a Librarian Desk can point you to some similar authors and titles and help keep you in books while you wait for you hold to be filled. Please ask us for help!

A big thanks….

to the Friends of the Library who provide supplemental funding to bring you copies of popular books.