Self-Service Model At Osseo Library Finds Success

The Hennepin County Library system began a self-service pilot at the Osseo Library last September.

“What that means is you walk into the space, you can browse the collection [and] grab a book,” said Scott Duimstra, Hennepin County Library director. “Essentially you can use any other library service as you would in any of our other 40 locations, just this one, there are not staff on site for it.”

The Osseo Library, which is located inside Osseo City Hall at 415 Central Ave. N., is the only self-service library in the county.

According to Duimstra, during the pilot project, the Osseo Library expanded its hours while simultaneously moving staff to other locations.

“We actually took the staff that were at this location and moved them to our Maple Grove library where there was an increased demand for staffing needs,” he said.

Since the change, there’s been an increase in visitors using library services.

The Osseo Library has seen an influx of users since it switched to a self-service model.

“Circulation did increase,” Duimstra said. “[It] increased by just over 700 check-outs”

That’s a 52 percent increase over the previous year. 

The library also saw a significant increase computer-centric visitors.

“Where we saw a huge increase is access to public computers,” said Duimstra. “So public computers increased by 176 percent.”

In survey data, Osseo Library users say they’re happy with the new setup.

Meanwhile, concerns about security at the library have proven to be unwarranted.

“We started this project in September of 2023, and we haven’t had any incidents yet,” Duimstra said. 

 So, for the future, the Osseo Library is staying self-service.

“Osseo Library has those 42-hours per week, and it will still have that self-service model going forward,” Duimstra said.

Osseo