Plainfield Library Installs More Grab & Go Lockers

Two years after the success of the first set of Grab & Go Lockers located at Plainfield East High School, Plainfield Area Public Library has installed another set in front of the Library building. The Plainfield East High School lockers are also operational again, after a period of technical difficulties.

Library Director Lisa Pappas explains that the lockers have been valuable for library equity: “One of the goals of the Library's current strategic plan is to reduce barriers to service. We're excited that as part of our strategic plan, we're able to provide a set of lockers here at the downtown location for access when it's convenient for you, including times when the Library is not open.”

The new set of lockers was purchased with a Public Library Per Capita Grant, awarded to Plainfield Area Public Library by the Illinois State Library to assist in “providing library services that meet or show progress toward meeting Illinois library standards.” The first set at Plainfield East High School Entrance P was purchased with money generously donated by an anonymous benefactor.

Produced by D-Tech International, the 32-locker unit is controlled by a smart and user-friendly computer kiosk. Books, music, movies and more are kept safe from the elements with a thermostatically controlled temperature management system. Lockers vary in size to accommodate all kinds of orders.

Similar to Amazon Hub Lockers, the Grab & Go Lockers service operates on an order-notify-pickup system:

• Users place items on hold using the Library’s catalog and select the lockers as the pickup location. Depending on which locker location is preferred, users will select Plainfield East HS Lockers or Illinois Street Lockers.
• When the items are ready, Library staff delivers them to a locker. Deliveries take place once a day, Monday through Saturday.
• Once the items are safely in a locker, users are notified via their preferred communication method (phone, email or text) that their items are ready. To retrieve their items, users scan their library card at the lockers’ computer kiosk. Since the lockers are available 24/7/365, they can retrieve their items at any time, within five days.
• If the items are not retrieved within five days of notification, they are returned to the Library.

Pappas adds that the new lockers will serve an important purpose as the Library moves forward with improvement plans. "As the Library Board plans for a renovation and modest expansion of the Library in the near future, the lockers will provide a way for our community to access items without having to enter a construction zone," she said.

The Grab & Go lockers are one of three contactless pickup options Plainfield Area Public Library offers. Curbside Pickup is available to all, and Home Delivery is available to Plainfield Library cardholders who are unable to physically travel to the Library or locker locations.

More information about the Grab & Go Lockers, including a list of frequently asked questions, can be found on Plainfield Area Public Library’s website.