What you have told us
Here you can search through numerous patron comments and the corresponding AADL replies. Search by the type of comment, in general by what the comment is regarding, or by a particular issue.
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Filter Patron Comments
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: collections
Patron Comment: Greetings, I was wondering if/when the library will start streaming commercial movies and TV collections? Will the library begin to phase out hard formats like DVDs and CDs?
AADL Reply: Hello and thanks for your question! We have already begun offering streaming video, you can view highlights and browse the full collection here: https://aadl.org/streamingvideo We are making an effort to work with rightholders who will work with us on licenses that allow for unlimited, long-term access and have made it a point to avoid pay-per-use models wherever possible. That's the dominant trend in streaming video services marketed to libraries, and not only is it an inversion of the library model (buy once, lend often), it makes success a budgetary problem to be solved by limiting access. That's why we have not moved forward with services like Hoopla or Kanopy. There are no plans at this time to phase out physical media such as DVD, Blu-ray, and CDs. It is becoming the case that certain titles are not released on disc, but are only available on proprietary streaming services. We've also seen an uptick in titles being released in a single format only - Blu-ray, but not DVD, for instance. We continue to add copies in their available formats based on demand as best we can. I hope this helps, and thanks for using your library! Sara Wedell Collections Manager | AADL
Date Received: 2022-10-24
Type: fines/overdues
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Could we please reinstate fines or some other punitive measure for late library material? It's ridiculous to be waiting on books for weeks or sometimes months beyond their due date, because some others feel they have no incentive to respect the designated check-out period. It's especially frustrating when there are 50 people waiting on just one or two copies. I can't possibly be the only person irritated by this.
AADL Reply: Hi there, thanks for your feedback. We're sorry you've been waiting so long. We've found that most patrons who have significantly overdue items are not typically motivated to return items by overdue fees. That's why we bill for the replacement cost of the material after an item is 45 days overdue, and then send the bill to collections if it unpaid. You're absolutely right that this can be an issue when there's a long queue and only a few titles that are overdue or missing. Can you tell us what title that is? We may be able to get some more copies. We know it's frustrating when a copy is overdue, but we've seen that library fee policy doesn't actually have much impact on that situation. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for using your library.. -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2022-10-13
Type: complaint
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Hello, I use the library often and I am happy that I may be able to order a book and pick it up at my local branch. I do, nevertheless, believe that there is no follow up for people who do not return books. I asked for two Clarice Lispector books, both were due already, but were never return. Does the library know the names of the borrowers? Why do they not pursue the issue? This is an easy way for the library of loosing books. what is a pity. Thank you for attention to this matter.
AADL Reply: Hello, thanks for your comment. We absolutely pursue the return of overdue items. Patrons with overdue items receive several notices of their overdue items, then a bill for the replacement cost of the item, then the unpaid bill is sent to a collection agency if the item is not returned. The collection agency sends letters via mail to the home address of the borrower. Unfortunately, none of these steps can actually compel a patron to return an overdue item. For titles that we have only a few copies of, it can result in long waits when the patron who has an item out doesn't bring it back. Ultimately, all we can do is remind, send bills, and send those bills out for collection. Some patrons are simply unconcerned with any of this, and that's just part of operating a library that is open to the public. If you're waiting for a single overdue copy of something, you might try requesting it from another library via MeLCat at http://mel.org . It's fast and easy, and a good solution when we're struggling to get a single copy of a title back on the shelves. Let us know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you for your patience, and thanks for using your library. -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2022-09-28
Type: compliment
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Hi AADL, I have been a patron for the years 2005-2014 and 2020-present. You are my ROCK! Thank you for being wonderful. Sincerely,
AADL Reply: Hello, thanks so much for your note! We're so glad you've found such value in the library. You're very welcome, but thank YOU for using your library, and best wishes! -eli Eli Neiburger (he/him) Director Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2022-09-25
Type: compliment
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: My grandchildren, all during pandemic, fell in love with AADL TV Storytimes, especially Miss Allison. I had taken them to in person storytimes whenever they visited Ann Arbor, at Traverwood or West Branch. Mostly it was Elizabeth or Amanda. But then my daughter and family (SIL a US Navy JAG) moved from California to Virginia to Rhode Island to Omaha. But Miss Allison went with them everywhere. They have sort of out brown her now, BUT, the youngest of my other daughter here in Ypsi, is now 3 years old and she has found Miss Allison and loves it. And her 6 year sister has decided she still likes to listen, and now has made up her own “hat” to make Abracadabra actions, her own “felt” board, uses her own objects to pull out, and finds the right books to match the missing letter (she and her sister do the ABC song with the missing letter) and they have their own story time. So thank you Miss Allison. So my real question is: is Allison still around? Employed by AADL? If so, Does she do storytimes? We know all the ones on YouTube are older. Or has she moved on to somewhere else.? If so, someone can forward this message and tell her thank you.
AADL Reply: Thank you for contacting us. We're delighted to hear that your family has enjoyed these storytimes! We have passed this compliment along to Allison, who is still at AADL! Thank you for using your library! Best, Sherlonya Turner Zobel Public Experience and Desk Service
Date Received: 2022-09-09
Type: complaint
Regarding: computers
Patron Comment: Operating System on computers need re-evaluating. The operation of your public computers is frustrating.
AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.
Date Received: 2022-08-22
Type: complaint
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Please stop posting covid cases and mask requirements on the front door. We can make our own decisions. The ann arbor library is the only place left that is still pushing masks. Its getting old.
AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.
Date Received: 2022-08-14
Type: other
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Hi! My girlfriend doesn’t live in Ann Arbor, but she’ll be visiting a lot over the school year and she loves books so I was wondering if there was a way to add her to my library card? She wants to be able to read while she visits and my schedule doesn’t always allow me to be with her when she runs errands because I am in the Michigan Marching Band. Thank you!
AADL Reply: Hi there, thanks for asking! While only people who live at an Ann Arbor address are eligible for their own library card, you can decide who uses your library card. So she can make her own login for aadl.org and add your card number (and verify your name as the name on the account), and she can place holds through that account, as more than one aadl.org account can use the same library card number. She can log in to that account on her mobile device, and she'll have a copy of the barcode at the top of the my account page she can use to pick up holds at the self check. You can also just let her use the physical card or existing aadl.org account if that's easier. But the bottom line is that you decide who has access to and can use your account, and that's the easiest way for her as a nonresident to use AADL. Let us know if you need any help with this or have any other questions, and go blue! -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2022-08-04
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: other
Patron Comment: I LOVE AADL and the Pittsfield branch in particular. :) With that said, the one thing that frustrates me is how my two young kids (3 and 5) immediately gravitate to the iPads/Tablets as soon as we walk in. It's like pulling teeth to get them away to look at books! While I understand that tablets can be educational, we rarely use them at home and the ones in the children's area of the Pittsfield branch always appear to just have cartoon-type games on them. Why are these needed in the library? Have they been contentious with other parents since they were put in? It has always bothered me, but this is the first time I'm contacting you about it, as I've noticed that it deters our family from visiting more often. Again, thank you for all you do to maintain and awesome library branch near us!
AADL Reply: Hello there, thank you for your comment, we're so glad you love the library. We're sorry that the presence of iPads in the kids area has been an issue for your family. All of the software on these iPads is educational in nature. We understand that access to iPads and educational software at the public library is particularly important for families who are unable to provide their children with access to technology in the home, especially when considering how central interface literacy and device familiarity has become to K-12 education. We do occasionally hear comments like yours from families who have chosen to limit use of screens in the home, and we're sorry for the conflict that it causes for your family. However, providing open access to hardware and software for all ages is a critical role for libraries in this century, and we do not plan to discontinue public access to these resources. We hope that your family will continue to visit the library, and that this situation improves as your children grow. Best wishes to you and your family, and thank you for using your library! -eli Eli Neiburger (he/him) Director Ann Arbor District Library
Date Received: 2022-07-30
Type: Summer Game
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -
Patron Comment: Hi! We absolutely love the summer game in this house, so thank you for consistently providing this diversion! We've been wondering about your decision to switch to a heat map this year. Last year, we had fun trying to hit as many houses as we could and being able to see which houses we still hadn't visited. With the heat map, however, this isn't possible. We're sure there was a reason you all decided to change to a different presentation, and we'd be curious to know about a bit more about why this decision was made. Keep up the great work! Thanks!
AADL Reply: Hi there, thanks for asking about this! The situation is that last year, we had a number of conflicts between players and homeowners as highly motivated players were trying to find the last few codes they were missing, often looking for signs that had gone missing or were never there, and it led to some situations we simply had to minimize the risk of recurring. Some players were tromping through backyards at night, shining flashlights in windows of people who didn't even know what the game is. We always try to avoid changing things to address the behavior of a few, but this was trending in a direction where someone was going to get hurt, and we needed to decrease the pressure to collect all the home codes. So, we decided to make the map more about where you'd be more likely to find codes and less of a checklist. It was always supposed to be a serendipitous experience, and getting all the the lawn codes, or getting all the badges, have never been design goals for the game. We're sorry this has made your experience playing less fun, but we did make a change to the heatmap just on Friday to make the dots more precise and much easier to see. You still can't tell which you've gotten and which you haven't, but no new codes will be able to be created for the last two weeks of the game, so you'll have two weeks to try to strategize your routes to get as many as you'd like. I will say we have had some relieved feedback from players who feel freed of the pressure to get them all, so that part of our design goal has been accomplished. We're continuing to tweak this approach and will certainly make more changes for next summer, but I hope you understand why we could not allow what was happening to continue. The fact is that the data that drives the lawn codes map is highly questionable and cannot be counted on. That unresolvable uncertainty is a poor match for a checklist that encourages players to complete it. We'll never be able to make sure all the codes are actually where players say they are, so we don't have many options beyond decreasing the perception that the last one is right around the corner. I hope this is helpful information; if you have any other suggestions, we'd love to hear them. Thanks again for your feedback, and thanks for playing! -eli Eli Neiburger (he/him) Director Ann Arbor District Library