I recently asked the Youth Services Playbook community a question that apparently struck a nerve:

PROGRAM REGISTRATION.

I can hear the collective sighs from here.

We ask people to register so we can plan for supplies, seating, staffing, snacks, and all the other little details that go into a successful program. A program fills up, you start a waitlist, and you plan for a full house.

Then the day arrives.

And half the people who registered don’t show up.

Meanwhile, there may be people who wanted to attend but were told the program was full.

So I asked other librarians: What are you actually doing about this?

The responses were fantastic. There is no universal answer, but there are a lot of strategies libraries are trying. Some are simple. Some require more staff time. Some create their own problems. And some may be worth trying if registration is driving you crazy.

Here’s what librarians shared.

1. Just Plan for the No-Shows

One of the simplest strategies is to accept that no-shows are going to happen and plan accordingly.

Several librarians said they essentially assume that only about half of the people who register will attend. One librarian described it as mentally checking that only half the registrants will actually show up.

Another shared an example from a popular lecture series where 50 people registered, including a group, but approximately 30 actually attended. Her conclusion was basically: That’s all we can do.

Honestly, this is pretty much what I did when I was still using registration.

I eventually stopped letting the registration number dictate how I planned my programs. Instead, I looked at average attendance over the previous year. If a program typically brought in 15 people, I planned for something in that neighborhood rather than assuming that 25 registrations meant 25 attendees.

I also considered room capacity.

This worked pretty well for me because I wasn’t overly concerned about a few extra supplies. Unless I was purchasing something highly specialized, I could usually find a way to use leftovers. Extra craft supplies could be saved for another program, turned into Grab & Go activities, or used for a teen gift-making program later in the year.

The downside

The obvious problem is that this doesn’t solve the bigger issue: people may still be turned away because registration says a program is full.

If 30 people register, you might prepare for 20 because you know your typical attendance. But if 22 people actually show up, you’ve still potentially turned away two people who could have attended.

And if your program has genuinely limited space or expensive supplies, “just plan for half” isn’t necessarily an option.

Still, if you have good historical attendance data, it may be worth using it instead of treating every registration as a guaranteed attendee.

2. Call or Email Everyone

Another popular strategy is reminders.

Some libraries call registrants the day before. Others send an email or text message. A few do both.

One librarian sends a personal email a day or two before the program, even though their registration system already sends an automated reminder. She feels the personal message has made a difference because patrons know her and don’t want to “let her down.” When someone cancels, she makes a point of responding with a simple, “Thank you so much for letting me know!”

Another librarian calls every registrant the day before a full program and reminds them that there is a waitlist. She said this has helped her reach about 90% attendance.

Those are pretty impressive results.

But reminders aren’t universally successful.

For me, they never worked particularly well. I usually got voicemail and no callback. And several librarians mentioned similar problems with outdated phone numbers, full voicemails, people who don’t check email regularly, or patrons who simply don’t respond.

One librarian noted that their urban library also serves people who speak multiple languages, making communication and reminders more complicated.

The downside

Reminders can work, but they require staff time.

If you’re calling 30 people before every program, that’s a significant amount of work. And if half of those calls go to voicemail, you may spend a lot of time chasing people who still don’t show.

It also makes me wonder whether the reminder system should be automated whenever possible. One librarian mentioned using software that sends both a text and email reminder 24 hours before the program and includes a cancellation button. If technology can do some of that work for you, that’s certainly worth considering.

But if you’re relying on staff to personally call every registrant, look at whether the improvement in attendance is actually worth the time.

3. Hand Out Tickets on the Day of the Program

This was one of my favorite ideas from the discussion.

Instead of registering weeks in advance, some libraries give patrons a physical ticket or slip when they arrive at the library on the day of the program.

You have 20 spots?

You have 20 tickets.

Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

I love this because it completely changes the equation.

The person who actually shows up gets the spot.

One librarian said they have a colleague who requires patrons to show up about 30 minutes early and get a slip from the front desk. Once the slips are gone, the program is full.

Another librarian uses tickets for the children’s programs where space is limited and said it works very well.

Someone else suggested preparing for a few extra people and keeping a handful of “sneaky tickets” available so you aren’t immediately turning away a family who just missed out.

The downside

The biggest issue is convenience.

Families can’t guarantee their spot in advance. Someone who has a busy schedule may not want to make a special trip to the library just to get a ticket.

It can also create a little chaos if a program is extremely popular and everyone shows up at the same time.

But if you’re dealing with chronic registration no-shows, I think day-of tickets are absolutely worth experimenting with.

They incentivize people to actually show up without creating a financial barrier.

4. Make Registration Optional

Here’s another approach I found really interesting: registration as a courtesy rather than a requirement.

One librarian said registration is optional at their library. Patrons can register if they want to receive reminders, but anyone can attend as long as there are supplies available. Registered patrons get first dibs.

I think this is a really interesting middle ground.

Registration becomes a way for patrons to say, “Hey, remind me about this!” rather than a gatekeeper preventing someone else from walking through the door.

The library still gets some information about anticipated attendance, but it isn’t relying on that number as an absolute headcount.

The downside

You still can’t depend on your registration numbers for planning.

If 25 people register, you may have 10 show up. Or 30 people could walk through the door.

You have to be comfortable with some uncertainty.

But let’s be honest: aren’t we already dealing with uncertainty?

5. First Come, First Served

This was another common approach, and it is essentially where I landed with most of my programming.

Instead of registration, the library sets an attendance cap when necessary and lets people know that spots are first come, first served.

Several librarians said they have been doing this successfully for years.

One teen librarian has used this approach for about a decade. She lists the attendance cap on flyers, the online calendar, and social media. Programs such as movie nights, board games, trivia, and inexpensive crafts don’t have a cap at all. Programs like cooking, sewing, escape rooms, expensive crafts, and certain outside presenters do.

Another librarian said they simply tell people, “We’re full,” when they reach capacity.

The downside

You will occasionally turn someone away.

And that can be hard, especially when it’s a child who is excited about a program.

You also need to be clear about the capacity ahead of time so patrons aren’t surprised.

But there is a major advantage: the people you’re counting are the people who are actually standing in front of you.

That’s a pretty accurate registration list.

6. Overbook—But Use Your Numbers

If registration is required, some librarians intentionally register more people than the actual capacity.

One librarian suggested overbooking by about 30%. Another simply opens more spots than the room technically holds because they know some people won’t show.

This can work.

But I wouldn’t automatically choose 30% and call it good.

Look at your own attendance history.

If 20 people consistently register and 14 show up, you have some pretty useful information. If 20 register and 19 show up, overbooking could create a serious problem.

Your library may find that 20% is the sweet spot. Maybe it’s 30%. Maybe it’s 40%.

The numbers should tell you.

And don’t just look at attendance to determine how many supplies to buy. Look at your historical numbers to determine when you should offer programs, too.

Maybe Tuesday at 6 p.m. consistently performs poorly while Saturday morning is packed.

That’s information worth using.

7. Have a Waitlist—and Release Spots

Waitlists sound great in theory.

Program is full? Start a waitlist!

But then you run into the same problem: How do you know who isn’t coming?

Some libraries call people the day before if there is a waitlist. Others allow people on the waitlist to show up and see if there is room.

Another strategy is to tell registered patrons that their spot will only be held for a certain amount of time.

For example, one library tells people that if they haven’t arrived within 10 minutes, their spot may be given to someone else.

Another library tells waitlisted patrons they can come anyway and wait to see whether space opens up.

The downside

You need a clear policy, and you need to communicate it.

If someone thinks their spot is guaranteed until the end of the program and you give it away after 10 minutes, you’re going to have an unhappy patron.

On the other hand, if you have families standing outside while empty chairs are being held for people who are 30 minutes late, that’s frustrating, too.

Whatever you decide, tell people in advance.

8. Track Repeat No-Shows

This was probably the most controversial solution.

Several libraries have policies that restrict patrons from registering for future programs if they repeatedly register and don’t show.

One library has a three-month ban after a no-show. Another uses a two-strike system and then prevents registration for a period of time.

One library requires patrons to check a box acknowledging the policy when they register.

And surprisingly, these librarians reported that the policies have been successful.

One librarian said patrons have actually thanked them because waitlisted people are now able to get into programs that they previously couldn’t attend.

I understand the reasoning.

If one person repeatedly takes a spot and doesn’t show, they may be preventing someone else from attending.

But personally, I don’t like it.

Maybe that’s because I’m particularly sensitive to barriers in library services. I understand the frustration behind the policy, but I don’t love the idea of punishing someone for not attending a free library program.

Could it work?

Absolutely.

Would I use it?

Probably not.

9. Charge a Fee

A few librarians said they have started charging for programs with expensive supplies, and they report that people are much more likely to attend when they have paid.

Some programs cost $2 or $5. Others are $15 or more when the materials are particularly expensive.

Again, I understand why it works.

But I’m pretty firmly against charging people simply to discourage no-shows.

Libraries are supposed to be accessible.

If someone can’t afford $5 for a craft program, should they really be excluded from participating?

For me, this goes beyond programming. I don’t even like late fees.

I understand that supplies cost money, but if the only way to make a program financially sustainable is to charge people to attend, maybe it’s worth looking at the program itself.

Can you use less expensive supplies?

Can you design something where leftover materials can be used later?

Can you turn extras into Grab & Go bags?

Can you offer a different type of program that doesn’t require such a significant investment?

I would rather rethink the program than create a financial barrier to participation.

10. Just Get Rid of Registration

And finally, some libraries have simply said:

Enough.

No registration.

No waitlist.

No reminders.

Just show up.

One librarian said that after moving away from registration and designing programs that could scale to the number of people who attend, their participation more than doubled.

Another said they very rarely use registration because they see it as a barrier and don’t have the staffing to call and remind people.

This was essentially my experience, too.

Once I stopped requiring registration, I found that I could usually make the program work with whoever showed up.

It wasn’t always perfect. There was definitely some nail-biting involved.

But it was manageable.

And I’d rather occasionally scramble for a few extra supplies than have a room full of empty chairs because everyone who registered decided to do something else.

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So What Should Your Library Do?

After reading all of these responses, I still don’t know what the perfect registration system looks like.

I don’t think there is one.

Every library has different spaces, staffing, budgets, communities, program types, and patron expectations. But I do think we sometimes make registration more complicated than it needs to be.

Start with your own data.

• How many people register?
• How many actually attend?
• Which programs have the most no-shows?
• Which programs consistently fill?
• Which days and times work best?
• How much staff time are you spending managing registration, reminders, waitlists, and cancellations?

Then experiment.

Maybe registration is necessary for your cooking classes but completely unnecessary for storytime.

Maybe your library needs day-of tickets for children’s crafts.

Maybe optional registration works for your adult programs.

Maybe you can overbook by 25%.

Maybe “supplies available while they last” is all you need.

Maybe you should get rid of registration entirely.

And here’s one more thing I’d love to see libraries try:

Ask your patrons.

If you have a chronic no-show problem, send a short survey to people who registered. Ask the people who attended what worked and ask the people who didn’t attend what got in the way.

Maybe they’ll tell you it was the day or the time. Maybe they forgot. Maybe they didn’t see the reminder or registered too far in advance.

Maybe something about your registration system isn’t working.

We shouldn’t assume we know.

Patrons who are willing to give you honest feedback are GOLDEN. Even if they tell you something you don’t want to hear, they’re giving you information you can actually use.

At the end of the day, I don’t think the goal should be to eliminate every no-show.

The goal is to find the sweet spot for your library—a system that lets you plan responsibly without creating unnecessary barriers for your patrons or unnecessary work for your staff.

Programming is always going to involve some educated guessing. Registration or no registration is not going to give you an accurate picture of attendance.

So look at your numbers. Try something. See what happens. Adjust.

And if you’ve found the magical solution to program registration?

Please share it.

Because judging from this conversation, there are a whole lot of us still looking.

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