From The City:
The New York Public Library is working on a plan to launch grab-and-go services for books and other materials — even as it’s buying more e-books, THE CITY has learned.
The dual approach reflects efforts to serve readers’ immediate needs while preparing for a technological transformation hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic, library officials said.
The NYPL is mulling having library cardholders order books online or by phone — and pick them up in a branch vestibule or on the sidewalk outside.
“As we begin to reopen our doors, we would do probably a small number of locations first and begin phasing in services,” said Brian Bannon, the Merryl and James Tisch director of The New York Public Library.
Public libraries remain closed in almost every major city in the country, with some exceptions. In central Ohio, for example, customers in cars can text or call the library to ask for a staffer to run out and put the materials in their trunks.
Link to the rest at The City
PG wonders why anyone needs a big study for this program.
Local restaurants around Casa PG inaugurated free pick-up-your-order service several weeks ago. Nearly every restaurant had an employee sitting outside under an umbrella (sun), waiting for people to pull up to designated parking spaces.
PG and Mrs. PG have been ordering online at their usual grocery store, then calling when they arrive and having a store employee put their groceries in the trunk.
Our library system (Charlottesville, Virginia) just started a Drive By: you can go online and request a book, get an email alert when it’s ready (it could come from one of the other branches), and then drive up to the drop-off window to claim the item. My first one is waiting for me now… I’m excited!