Hoover Public Library opens book drop at Inverness fire station

The Hoover Public Library this morning opened its first off-site book drop at Hoover Fire Station No. 7 in the Inverness community.

The book drop is designed to make it more convenient for library patrons in eastern Hoover to return items to the library. Items will be picked up each weekday.

Library Director Amanda Borden said the book drop cost a little less than $14,000 to purchase and install, and was made possible by a grant from the federal Institute for Museum and Library Services, administered by the Alabama Public Library Service. The grant provided 80 percent of the money for the project, and Hoover picked up the other 20 percent, Library Technology Coordinator Carrie Steinmehl said.

The Hoover library sought more money so it could install a locker system that would allow people to request that items be delivered to the book drop for pickup by patrons, but the library only received enough money to purchase the standard book return drop, she said.

The book drop at the Inverness fire station includes one bin for books and one for audio/visual materials.

The Hoover City Council last month allocated $45,000 in the fiscal 2019 budget to add at least three more book drops in other parts of Hoover. Borden said library officials are still trying to determine the best places to put the book drops, but potential locations include Greystone, the Ross Bridge area and southwestern Hoover.

Residents who took part in the library’s strategic planning process made it clear that making interactions with the library more convenient is a high priority, Borden said. Convenience is very important to people in this era when Amazon can deliver anything to your door, and the library wants to stay relevant, she said.

The book drops are just a small step toward the library’s goal of opening a full branch in eastern Hoover, Borden said.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato in June asked the City Council to pass several tax increases that would have provided money for numerous projects, including a library branch in eastern Hoover. His plan was to spend $1.7 million to build a library branch and provide $700,000 a year to staff and operate it.

The City Council did approve several tax increases, but not as much as Brocato requested. Brocato’s proposed tax increases would have raised an estimated $20 million a year, but the tax increases approved by the council will bring in an estimated $11.2 million a year instead.