Tuscaloosa Public Library Debuts Kiosk In Northport City Hall

NORTHPORT, AL — The Tuscaloosa Public Library this week officially debuted its new kiosk at Northport City Hall as the library system aims to broaden its services and amenities in the communities it serves.

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District 1 Councilwoman Christy Bobo told Patch that the city's partnership with the Tuscaloosa Public Library has grown each year since 2020, especially following the appointment of Randy Fondren to the library's Board of Trustees.

Bobo said Fondren has been "instrumental" in helping city officials engage with the library.

"Due to limited budget, pandemic changes, and past low participation, we have not been able to justify re-opening a completely separate branch of the library yet in Northport," Bobo explained. "Our [Council] Finance Committee and council requested that the library explore options for a low-cost way to help enable citizens to interact more with our public library."

She then said Tuscaloosa Public Library Executive Director Jennifer Pearson and Fondren came back to the committee and presented the idea of a kiosk over a year ago — a concept that became a reality this week.

"Citizens will be able to check out materials online, and materials will be delivered to the kiosk, where citizens with their library card can access and retrieve their reserved items," Bobo said. "The kiosk will also serve as a return station for checked materials."

Bobo said more information will be available soon on the library’s website, as well as on the City of Northport’s website.

"We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our Northport citizens with this new offering that grants easier access to the public library," she said.

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