Name: New library branch at Collicutt Centre a hit - Red Deer Advocate
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New library branch at Collicutt Centre a hit - Red Deer Advocate

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The Collicutt branch of Red Deer Public Library is located across from Collicutt’s main admissions desk. (Photo by SUSAN ZIELINSKI/Advocate staff)It turns out that Red Deerians can’t resist browsing the Collicutt Centre library, or the convenience of picking up a book or item there that they requested from another Red Deer Public Library branch.Library CEO Shelley Ross said response to the small, self-service branch that opened at the end of August has been delightful.“It’s exceeding all of our expectations,” Ross said.She said the branch is open the same hours as the recreation facility and people like being able to pick up their requests early in the morning, or hanging out there with their children in the evening while waiting for another child to finish a sports activity.Six items were picked up the first day the branch provided the pickup service, and now those items fill three shelves.Related:Red Deer Public library is set to open new branch at Collicutt CentreThe Collicutt branch, located across from the centre’s main admissions desk, is 640 square feet so it can only accommodate a small collection that includes a little bit of everything — adult audio books, children’s CDs, graphic novels, fiction and nonfiction for all ages, DVDs, and more.Ross said books for young children with hard pages, known as board books, are so popular it’s difficult to keep them on the shelves. Adult fiction is another favourite.Software used to evaluate borrowing preferences responds quickly to make sure the collection has what people are looking for.“It’s very much a work in progress that we’ll just continually tweak as we see the use patterns changing.”Related:Exterior of Red Deer Public Library being upgraded this summerAs of the end of September, 1,340 customers had borrowed 1,659 items from the Collicutt collection. Items included 678 children’s items, 44 teen items, 242 adult fiction, 17 large print, and 110 non-fiction adult materials. The remaining items were magazines, DVDs, CDs, world languages, audio books, and others.In September there were 3,296 visits to the brand new Collicutt branch compared to more than 5,000 at the Timberlands branch and more than 12,000 at the Dawe branch. The downtown branch remains the busiest with an average of more than 17,000 visits per month in the first eight months of the year.Ross said the library is committed to a full year at the Collicutt and she’s hopeful it is there to stay, and even expand.The site has a self-serve checkout to borrow items. Staff are on site about three hours a day, and school visits for orientation on how to use the self-service system have begun.She said efforts are underway to determine when story time could be held at the branch, and to promote multi-language materials both on the shelves and online, including the online service PressReader to access hundreds of magazines and newspapers from around the world in the language in which they are published.“It’s an opportunity to be reading the same things that relatives in other countries are reading.”szielinski@reddeeradvocate.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on TwitterRed Deer Public LibraryBe Among The First To KnowSign up for a free account today, and receive top headlines in your inbox Monday to Saturday.PreviousNextWork ethic helped Rebels Quentin Bourne earn a bigger role Red Deer Symphony Orchestra is gearing up for a new 2023-24 season — and three free community concerts U15 AAA Red Deer Rebels inaugural Fall Classic officially underway Mustard Seed is cooking up Thanksgiving dinner

The Collicutt branch of Red Deer Public Library is located across from Collicutt’s main admissions desk. (Photo by SUSAN ZIELINSKI/Advocate staff)It turns out that Red Deerians can’t resist browsing the Collicutt Centre library, or the convenience of picking up a book or item there that they requested from another Red Deer Public Library branch.Library CEO Shelley Ross said response to the small, self-service branch that opened at the end of August has been delightful.“It’s exceeding all of our expectations,” Ross said.She said the branch is open the same hours as the recreation facility...

New library branch at Collicutt Centre a hit - Red Deer Advocate

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