More than 143,000 reserves placed in first month
Wake County Public Libraries will open two new locations for Books on the Go services today. Book lovers will now be able to reserve books online and pick them up at Fuquay-Varina Community Library and the Express Library on Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh.
“We are thrilled with the success of the Books on the Go program, and we’re excited to offer additional opportunities for people to take advantage of it,” said Ann Burlingame, deputy director of Wake County Public Libraries. “Even during these challenging times, the library is here to instill the love of reading and to foster the pursuit of knowledge in all of our residents.”
Since the service launched on June 15, people placed 143,068 reserves—with more than half of those taking place in the first week. Residents made nearly 18,000 appointments to pick up their books, which averages out to 1,285 appointments per day. And checkouts totaled 59,171, with an average of 4,227 per day.
How does Books on the Go work?
- Place books on reserve using WCPL’s online catalog. You can request up to 30 items at a time. In addition to books and audio books, you can also request Lucky Day titles, Book Discussion titles and Book Club Kits.
- You will receive an email notification that your item(s) have arrived. Click the link in your email to schedule an appointment time to pick up your materials Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. You may receive multiple emails about requests being available, but you only need to schedule one appointment.
- Staff will check out your requested items and place them in a bag on a table in the lobby or at the front of the library. When you arrive, look for the Books on the Go bag with your name on it. These items are already checked out to you.
In addition to Fuquay-Varina Community Library and the Express Library on Fayetteville Street, the following libraries are participating in the Books on the Go program:
- Cameron Village Regional Library
- Cary Regional Library
- East Regional Library
- Middle Creek Community Library
- North Regional Library
- Northeast Regional Library
- Southeast Regional Library
- West Regional Library
The Books on the Go service is the next step in moving toward reopening the libraries in the safest way possible for staff and customers. WCPL thanks the community for their patience—and for supporting books, reading and their public library.
Updates to library services will be posted at bit.ly/WCPLPrep and communicated via social media.
About WCPL Remote Resources
While the libraries are closed, Wake County Public Libraries offers an array of library resources you can access from home. Register online for a library card, download the WCPL app and then browse a robust collection of audiobooks, e-books, video-on-demand and more. New virtual storytimes are being added every week. These features are available here.
