Hoover Public Library dedicates new services at East 59 Cafe in Lee Branch

The Hoover Public Library today celebrated the opening of a new remote locker and library program location at the East 59 Café in The Village at Lee Branch shopping center off U.S. 280.

People with a Jefferson County library card now can request books, movies and other materials online and have them delivered to a locker inside East 59 Café, which is near the AMC movie theater. When they are done with the items, they can return them to the locker as well, preventing the need for a drive across town to the library.

The library also has started having a children’s storytime at East 59 Café every Monday at 10:30 a.m. and plans to have an adult program at East 59 Café at least once a week as well, at varying times, Library Director Amanda Borden said.

Library officials for several years have had an interest in opening a branch in eastern Hoover to better serve residents in that area, and “I feel like we’re sort of getting a little mini-branch with this,” Borden said.

To request a book or other item, people can use their Jefferson County library card to place an item on hold on the Hoover Public Library website, then wait for a notification that it has been delivered to the remote locker.

If the book or item is in stock at the library, it could be delivered to the locker within a couple of days, Borden said. If it’s already checked out or must be ordered from another Jefferson County library, it will take longer, just like any other request to put an item on hold, she said.

When the library patrons arrive at the locker, they can scan their library card and the locker with their item or items will pop open. The individual lockers hold anywhere from five to 10 items, Borden said.

Anyone who lives in the city limits of Hoover can get a Jefferson County library card for free, whether they live in Jefferson County or Shelby County, Borden said. People who live outside Hoover and Jefferson County can purchase a library card for $50.

“People that do invest in that think it’s a good deal,” Borden said.

Library staff eventually plan to start offering “grab and go” books at the East 59 Café lockers as well, featuring popular titles in lockers with see-through windows. No reservation will be necessary for those books. However, library staff want to assess the demand for requested items before implementing the “grab and go” books to make sure they have enough space, Borden said. If necessary, they will add another stack of lockers, she said.

The new library lockers at East 59 Café were made possible by a federal grant offered through the Alabama Public Library Service. The project cost about $45,000, with federal money covering 80% of that and the city of Hoover picking up the other 20%, Borden said.

She thanked East 59 Café for opening its doors to the library, the state library service for the grant and the Hoover mayor and City Council for providing the 20% match.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said this is a great opportunity to serve Hoover residents in the eastern part of the city, as well as others in the north Shelby County region who want to use the “fabulous” Hoover Public Library.

“This is really a cool space. It’s a beautiful restaurant,” Brocato said. “I hope that this leads to an actual branch on this side of Hoover.”

Brocato praised Borden and her staff for the “phenomenal” job they do nurturing Hoover residents and making sure they get great service.

East 59 Café has a location inside the Hoover Library Plaza at 200 Municipal Drive and opened its newest location in The Village at Lee Branch in October of last year.

Amber Tolbert, one of the owners of East 59 Café, said bringing the library services into the Lee Branch location has a lot of meaning for her and others in their family business.

When they opened their first location in Birmingham’s Eastlake community, which later closed, part of the whole idea was to help build community, Tolbert said.

And, even more recently, “with the pandemic, people are craving a sense of community — a sense of connecting with others,” Tolbert said.

Having library programs, such as children’s storytimes, Lunch and Learn sessions for adults, trivia nights or game nights, will help accomplish that, she said. One recent Halloween craft event brought in about 30 adults and children, she said.

“It was a great turnout. I was really impressed,” Tolbert said. “ The Hoover Library offers top-notch events.”

Find out more about Hoover Public Library services and programs at The Village at Lee Branch here.