Blocked Patrons? Now What?
The slippery slope
When a patron fails to return an item or a few, you’ll send overdues, reminders, and then finally a bill. What happens then? If you are not partnering with Unique for Material Recovery, likely nothing happens with those patrons and a once valuable library patron is totally disconnected from their previous resources. Remember these were once active patrons, adding to your circulation and door count. When they are blocked, they remain totally disconnected from the library’s resources. All you need is a Gentle Nudge® to get them back in the door.
Our Process
How does Material Recovery help? Patrons referred to Unique for Material Recovery receive a series of gentle letters and phone calls over the next several months encouraging them to get back in touch with their library to return the items and restore good standing. We use a series of databases to find their best contact information, like if they’ve moved.
Positive outcomes
What are the results? Over 50% of patrons respond and bring their accounts back to good standing with the library, greatly reducing the number of blocked patrons from your system. What does that mean for your library? Only 1-2% of patrons are referred to Unique annually. Using Material Recovery process results in 0.5-1% of your patrons returning as active cardholders. That’s 50-100 patrons per 10,000 cardholders annually you are getting back in the door, not to mention the items that would be lost.
We work for you
What libraries does this work for? Unique partners with about 2,000 library systems including public and academic, both fines free and fines charged. Our partners understand that keeping patrons coming back to the library in good standing increases access while being good stewards of your resources. All libraries are unique, and all settings for Material Recovery can be custom set to your policies and preferences.
Curious what Material Recovery looks like for your library? Please feel free to contact us at sales@uniquelibrary.com for a free consultation and quote today.
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Solutions designed to improve patron communication, strengthen collection access, reduce staff workload, and support library growth.
Fine-Free Gentle Nudge
Recover long-overdue materials while preserving patron goodwill. Restore access, return items to circulation, and support the goals of a fine-free library.
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MessageBee
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Expand patron support with live phone and chat assistance. Reduce frontline workload while providing timely answers and a better patron experience.
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Reach new residents soon after they move into your community. Targeted postcards build awareness, drive registrations, and help grow library membership.
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Material Recovery
Bring valuable materials back into circulation through proven library outreach. Improve collection availability while maintaining positive patron relationships.
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Verified Borrower Registration
Simplify online card registration through automated identity verification. Reduce staff work, improve data quality, and give eligible residents faster access.
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Renew eligible borrower accounts while validating patron information behind the scenes. Reduce repetitive tasks and maintain uninterrupted patron access.
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Explore solutions that improve communication, increase efficiency, strengthen patron relationships, and support library growth.
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