Journey of a Book Part IV: How the Book Gets in Your Hands 

Written by Mackenzie Manley, Content Specialist, Downtown Main Library    

Have you ever wondered how a book makes its way to your holds shelf? From selecting materials and adding them to the Library's collection to delivering them to branch locations, this is part four of a series taking you on the Journey of a Book. If you missed the other parts, catch up on our blog.     

Have you ever wanted to check out an item that was unavailable or located at another branch? Library card users can place a hold on items and have those items shipped for pickup at any of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library's 41 locations. But how do those materials get to your neighborhood branch? 

The process starts at the Distribution Center, where items are sorted and prepared to be sent out onto delivery vans. Branches receive two deliveries a day, Monday through Friday, along with one on Saturday.  

 Before getting items into their hands, there are a few steps that need to happen after books are delivered to a branch.  

"When we start delivery, we count how many bins there are and divide them up amongst the staff," says Megan Hartley, Anderson Branch Youth Services Supervisor.. "Most of the materials in there are on hold for our customers, and some things are branch materials." 

Materials are separated accordingly, including larger requests like Teacher Collections or book club needs. Regular holds are placed on the designated Holds Shelf in alphabetical order by last name. Megan says they also verify to ensure the receipt is correct.  

"It's very important that people get what they're trying to get in a timely manner," says Megan. "We do have some overflow shelves for some of our heavier-lifting customers who like to check out lots of things. We also have a small section at the end for our music CDs and LPs, so that they don't get lost in the shuffle of the bigger books. We also regularly check our hold shelves to make sure there's nothing that has been on there for too long that might have expired." 

The Anderson Branch, and several other branches in the Library system, also offer drive-thru window service, and most branches place those items in totes  right next to the window, just waiting for their “owners” to come pick them up. If you happen to pull through with your dog, you might even get a treat for them! 

"Any customer can do that just by selecting Anderson window as their pickup location,” says Megan “We see people come through all the time with their dogs, or they might have lots of babies in car seats, where it's just so much easier for them to pick their holds up at the window." 

Once items are returned, the branch gets them ready for the next customer, whether that means putting it back on the holds shelf or sending it to another location.  

"I love seeing when people get something right before they leave for vacation, and it came the day before they were going to leave," says Megan. "That's always really satisfying to see it come right in the nick of time."  

The Library Is How Books Find Their Way to You    

Every day, thousands of books, movies, and other materials travel through CHPL's sorting and delivery network on their way to customers across Hamilton County. Before a book reaches your hands, there's an entire team helping it get there. Read the rest of the Journey of a Book series. 

 Mackenzie Manley is reading "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward.