It’s getting close to that time of the year and some of us are well-organized. But, for those who aren’t quite there yet, there are a few tips we think would be helpful. After all, this holiday season only comes once a year, so those once a year tasks are not necessarily high on the “remember to do” list even if, for some of us, that holiday season arrives more quickly than we ever thought possible!

 

With the end of the year (and the associated holiday season) almost upon us, now is a good time to prepare your library (and your users) for the holiday period, and the upcoming new year. So, here are 6 of our top tips of “to dos” in the run up to the holiday season.

Include a Holiday Message on Your Home Page

Adding an information box (or editing an existing one) is one of the easiest ways to let your borrowers know what days the library will be closed. Any activities planned in the lead up to the holiday break could also be the subject of an information box.

You could use different colors (and even an image) to make the boxes stand out and set the festive mood!

Update Your Holiday Opening Hours

If you haven’t already done so, mark out any closed dates for your library for the holiday season and add them to Liberty. Closed Dates are added for each of your branches (use the Closed Dates field in > System > Branches) and you can enter single days, or a date range. This will ensure that any loans you issue to borrowers don’t fall due when the library is closed!

If you know the public holidays on which your library is closed in 2020, this is also a perfect time to add them as well.

Remind Your Users That They Can Still Access the Library Remotely

Remind your users that no matter whether the library location itself is closed, even if only for a few days, they can access the catalogue and their portal anywhere, anytime. They can also place requests, renew their loans and search for information on their mobile devices.

Send a Bulk Holiday Greeting Email to Your Borrowers

The Bulk Email function is the perfect way to send a greeting to your borrowers for the holiday season. You can customize your message to address each borrower by name.

Email a Reminder List of Loans to Borrowers

The end of the year is a good opportunity to send an email to your borrowers listing their current loans. This notice is sent as part of the Overdues Notice run, but the content differs from a typical overdue notice. In particular, it lists all current loans, and the message is kinder!

Update your Banner

Changing the banner image of your Liberty system can make a major difference to how your Liberty Home screen looks to your borrowers. If you want to set a different mood for your Home screen, consider changing the banner to something with a holiday theme. You can also use the Interface Setup Wizard to change the colour scheme.

And… Have a Great Holiday Break!

While the lead up to the holiday break may well be frantic, we hope you enjoy your well-earned break.