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New Canaan Public Library

New Canaan Public Library

Too Much of a Good Thing

Angela Hanshaw | July 27, 2010

The good news? Your library programs are so successful that people have to line up for them. The bad news? Your library programs are so successful that people have to line up for them. Offering programs that are extremely well-attended by patrons seems like the ideal, but a recent article on New Canaan Public Library’s overcrowding issue showed me that there’s a downside to success as well.

The article described a recent event with pianist Andrew Armstrong that went beyond standing-room only. The library dealt with it as best as they could—setting up a monitor in another room so that people could watch—but there was no good solution to the problem. As New Cannan resident and library trustee Elizabeth Ellsworth said, “My kids and I just went home really disappointed. That’s the kind of thing where there’s no point to watch it in front of a television set.” Library director Alice Knapp noted, “What’s happening now is not happening just once a year. It’s happening five, six or seven times a year.” That’s a lot of disappointed patrons.

So what can you do? The obvious—build an addition or a larger library—isn’t going to be an option is most cases. And it doesn’t always work: “Whenever we make space available it becomes filled,” Ellsworth noted. You can require registration, but that will still mean leaving out people who would like to attend. Partnering with another organization in your community that has more space available may be a good option. How do you deal with overcrowding?

Angela Hanshaw is Program Officer/Web Editor for the ALA Public Programs Office.

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Posted by Melinda Ludwiczak on Tuesday, August 10, 2010, at 10:40 AM
The Library Foundation of Hennepin County often has programs that fill to over capacity. They did away with preregistration because of no-shows and last minute attendees. Their new system involves handing out tickets at the event for seating. They advertise the following statement with their programs, "Free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served. Doors open 45 minutes in advance." This system has alleviated frustration, but there are times when capacity is reached and people are turned away.
Last Edit: August 11, 2010, 13:10:55 by aatest  
Posted by Anji on Thursday, August 05, 2010, at 11:31 AM
Even though required registration isn't the ideal, it is a good way to maintain crowd control. You could try to arrange multiple performances with the presenter (assuming they are willing to be reasonable about price if you're paying them), or you could even record a video podcast of the event, which you could post to your library's website.
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 04, 2010, at 02:14 PM
We have a period of at least a week during which only our tax-payers are eligible to register or get a ticket; they have to provide proof of residence. Everyone else goes on a waiting list or can pick up any remaining tickets when the preferred period has ended. We've also used the high school auditorium.
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 04, 2010, at 01:53 PM
I am from a small community and we have very limited program space. In the past, some programs have been moved to the school auditorium to accomodate the crowd, BUT I feel that detracts SO much value of if being a LIBRARY program. If people are not actually coming to the library, how will they check out books and sign up for new cards? I MUCH prefer to keep our programs IN the library, even if that means offering several performances on the same day. Just my two cents :)
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, July 27, 2010, at 07:52 PM
We do most of our events at the parish halls of community churches.