Renew and Register: the R&R your library needs
Automated Borrower Management for Libraries
Verifying addresses for new and renewing patrons a tedious time drain on library staff. Manual processes increase staff workload, delay account activation, and risk lapses in patron access. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Verified Borrower Registration (VBR) and Automated Borrower Renewal (ABR) simplify the process, reducing manual work for staff while ensuring accurate, up-to-date records and uninterrupted patron access.
Are manual renewals and registrations eating into your time?
MessageBee Borrower Renewal and Registration bring a streamlined, automated approach that maintains efficiency and engagement.
Our solution is an inexpensive way to ease staff workload and maintain patron membership. Those tedious ‘yup your address looks good’ checks can be a thing of the past.
Claim back those ‘oh, you didn’t move? I didn’t think so’ conversations and remove a few patron barriers while you’re at it. Plus, while you’re automating the verification process, consider the new patron journey from MessageBee to get new patrons up and running with the resources they’ll love. Let’s take a look at how we do it.
Verified Borrower Registration
Verified Registration compares new patron identities and documents automatically, eliminating manual review. This ensures accurate records, reduces duplicates, and accelerates account activation while maintaining high data integrity. It makes it easier for patrons to sign up for a library card, and they can access virtual resources immediately.
Automated Borrower Renewal
Automated Renewal automatically renews eligible borrower accounts based on library policies. Patrons receive timely notifications, and staff workload decreases, ensuring accounts remain active and service continuity is maintained.
Our staff has definitely appreciated the automated renewal service. We had previously been using a competitor, but the switchover was seamless. We know that patrons love not having to come in with proof of address to renew their accounts every year, and I appreciate the daily updates with the numbers of accounts renewed and those that have moved away. I love the website that lets me really dig into the data, too!
Alicia Brillon
Senior Library Manager, Scottsdale Public Library
How it works
Our Verified Borrower Registration, as well as our Automated Borrower Renewal tools work in similar ways. They both compare patron queries against our secure Address Verification Database to ensure that patrons are who they say they are. The Address Verification Database is a nationwide data system that logs change in addresses in order to keep the most-up-to-date address information for residents of the USA.
With Automated Renewal, the process is totally hands-off. Our system compares patron records in the library ILS against the Address Verification Database daily to see if anyone has moved. Most of the time, there is no change and the library card remains valid. If there is a change detected, the patron is automatically send an email informing them that their library card will expire, and steps to remedy this if it is incorrect.
Verified Registration does something similar for new patrons. When a prospective new patron goes to register on the library website, they enter their address in the online widget. Their given address is verified in real-time for validity and also for inclusion in the library’s service area. If both of those criteria are met, they are granted immediate access to the library’s online resources, and a new patron record and membership barcode is generated for them in the ILS.
Case Study: Arlington Public Library
Arlington Public Library implemented VBR to streamline new account approvals, improving accuracy and reducing staff workload. Adding ABR increased renewal rates, ensuring patrons stayed active and engaged while staff focused on community programs.
“In the past, we faced a lot of complaints from patrons who either called in or came in to say they didn’t like having to be in-person to verify their addresses.”
– Arlington’s IT Manager Connie Wu
This frustration was paired with inefficiency. In the wake of the COVID pandemic, many patrons had moved and not updated their information, leaving staff with manual tracking and reclassification work.
“During COVID we had a lot of patrons who moved, and having the verification service catch those for us has been really important because it saves us so much time on the back end.”
– Connie Wu
The old process created unnecessary barriers for patrons while diverting valuable staff time away from their core mission.
Benefits for Staff and Patrons alike
Verified Registration and Automated Renewal reduce administrative burden, improve data accuracy, and maintain consistent patron engagement. Staff can focus on service while patrons enjoy uninterrupted access to library resources.
Since the process runs daily, libraries can have a real-time look at their patron base, and can eliminate library card expiration dates, too.
These tools also ensure that the library is being used by legitimate patrons. Many libraries have found that inadequate verification tools have led to fraudulent ‘patrons’ registering for the library, taking valuable resources from real patrons. These tools can cut out the instances of fraudulent signups to your library, with little involvement from staff.