Upon closing of the libraries, Sarasota identified the need for an e-card program. During the launch, staff had to reconsider long-standing policies, technology constraints and promotion planning of this newly available e-card. As a Florida county system, service area and availability to non-residents of the county were valid concerns. The technology staff at the libraries were able to leverage their Sierra ILS and Patron Point marketing platforms to design and launch the e-card within a few weeks of closure.

Utilizing their Patron Point marketing platform, the libraries were able to create a web-embedded library card application, which upon submission checked for county residency and existing card status, sent an instant confirmation email and created a patron record in the ILS — all accomplished in minutes without staff intervention. Patrons received welcome emails as well as duplicate request and card rejection emails informing them of their status. The promotion of this new e-card program not only resulted in new digital library patrons, it also highlighted e-resources that current patrons were either unaware of or had forgotten about.

• Within two days of launch, more than 50 patrons had received new library cards and, in the first 12 weeks, we issued a total 1,054.
• As of 9/24/20, 1,880 e-cards were issued and 193 patrons were reminded that they already had a card.
• OverDrive, cloudLibrary, Flipster and Hoopla use increased by 52% and the number of new patrons increased by 182% (in comparison to February, traditionally our busiest month each year).
• Even though facilities are now open, circulation is averaging 35-39% more than pre-COVID-19 months.