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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.

We care about what you have to say, and do our best to address each and every concern.

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Date Received: 2023-08-18
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: Return a magazine exchange rack please.

AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.


Date Received: 2023-08-18
Type: compliment
Regarding: customer service

Patron Comment: Great Library Service Systems.

AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.


Date Received: 2023-08-12
Type: complaint
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -

Patron Comment: You really need to figure out how to get people to turn in media on time. Prompting them at 30 days is not right. Folks shouldn't be allowed that much grace. That is not fair to other folks. Thanks

AADL Reply: Hi there, thank you for contacting us. We're sorry that using the library can involve waiting your turn, and sometimes items don't come back by the due date. Patrons receive notices 3 days before the due date, 2 days after the due date, 8 days after the due date, and 30 days after the due date. Then patrons are billed for the item at 45 days after the due date. Patrons are no longer able to check out other items once their balance is $25 or more. We understand how frustrating this can be when you're waiting on a title that has just a few copies. But we've found that there is really very little we can do to address patron behavior on overdue items. The end of overdue fees made extremely little impact on the number of overdue items or how long they were overdue. Most patrons return things on time, and some patrons do not. It's easy to imagine that there are actions we could take to encourage patrons to return items sooner, but the data does not bear that out. We're sorry for how the behavior of other patrons has impacted your use of the library. Sharing doesn't always go smoothly when there are tens of thousands of people sharing hundreds of thousands of items. Hopefully you can find other items in the collection to enjoy while you wait for items to be returned. If you are ever waiting for an item and there's just a single copy that has gone long overdue, please feel free to contact us and we may be able to obtain additional copies depending on availability and demand. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for using your library. -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library


Date Received: 2023-06-23
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: Hello, Could you please consider closing the library in the future to commemorate Juneteenth. Thank you. Kind regards,

AADL Reply: Hello, thank you very much for contacting us. We will keep your feedback in mind, as we balance the idea of a closure with our efforts to provide programming that observes, and informs patrons about, Juneteenth. Thank you again for your feedback, and please let us know if you have any other suggestions or concerns. -eli Eli Neiburger (he/him) Director Ann Arbor District Library


Date Received: 2023-06-21
Type: complaint
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -

Patron Comment: Hello...is there any plans for the library to open at 9 AM again? I understand the shortened hours due to the pandemic & post-pandemic but it's been over a year now. 10 AM seems late for a library to open (Canton opens at 9 AM) and you used to be open from 9 AM to 9 PM rather than 10 AM to 8 PM. Increased salaries & shortened hours for a well-funded library system doesn't appear to be a good start for the new Library Director. Thanks in advance for your response as to why the shortened hours.

AADL Reply: Hello, thank you for your question. At this point we do not have plans to expand our hours. When we shifted to 10 AM - 8 PM 7 days a week, that was based on pre-pandemic door count patterns and a goal to add weekend hours when we are the busiest. we used to be open 9 AM - 6 PM on Saturday and Noon - 6 PM on Sunday. Weekday mornings and evenings were typically times of very few visits to the library, and we are finding many more patrons are visiting during the expanded weekend hours than weekday mornings and evenings. If we were to adjust our hours, would you be more likely to visit from 9 AM - 10 AM on weekdays, or weekends? And would you be more likely to visit from 9 AM - 10 AM or 8 PM - 9 PM? Thanks very much for your feedback, it helps us plan for the future. Thanks as well for using your library, and please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library


Date Received: 2023-06-04
Type: Summer Game
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -

Patron Comment: Hi! Is there going to be a Summer Game Spectacular event at Vet's Park this year? Thank you! Emily

AADL Reply: Thank you for your question. Yes, there will be a Summer Game Spectacular this year! https://aadl.org/node/614416 We hope to see you there! Best, Sherlonya Turner Zobel Associate Director, Public Experience and Desk Service


Date Received: 2023-05-04
Type: complaint
Regarding: - NONE SELECTED -

Patron Comment: I'd refer to this as a comment rather than a complaint but I just searched your music collection for Aaron Copeland. Nothing. How is that possible? Who selects the music?

AADL Reply: Hi there, thanks for your interest. The composer Aaron Copland does not have an e in his name. You can see all our CDs of music by Copland here, or by typing copland into our search box: https://aadl.org/search/catalog/author:(%22Copland,%20Aaron,%201900-1990.%22) As an aside, we do allow searches to be off by one letter, but exact matches are a higher ranking in the results. So a search for copeland would have included works by Copland, but only after all the various works by people named Copeland. You can see this in action by searching for copeland orchestra, which gets what you were looking for despite the misspelling: https://aadl.org/search/catalog/copeland%20orchestra We also have an excellent Copland documentary in our streaming video collection: https://aadl.org/catalog/record/ib-100011981 And even an LP in circulation: https://aadl.org/catalog/record/10440638 Thanks for your interest, and we're sorry for the frustration. Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, and thank you for using your library. -eli Eli Neiburger Director Ann Arbor District Library


Date Received: 2023-04-12
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: other

Patron Comment: Hello! Please record the history of the spinny light board thing and make it available online for all to peruse. In particular, I would like it to be possible to share to others a link of what the state of the board was at specific times so specific creations would be shown to others. Thank you.

AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.


Date Received: 2023-04-12
Type: general suggestion
Regarding: programs & events

Patron Comment: Record Store Day 23 T-shirts would be cool. Same logo that you use for flyers and posters.

AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.


Date Received: 2023-04-12
Type: compliment
Regarding: programs & events

Patron Comment: The staff was so kind and included by daughter even though it was nearing the end of the event (3/19/23). She was so excited. Kudos to your amazing staff.

AADL Reply: This comment was submitted anonymously.