Article

Check out what's new at the library

Thanks to kiosks, libraries can compete with big name video rental stores when it comes to customer convenience.

December 29, 2004

Local libraries aren't in the business of video rental. They leave that to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. Libraries are, however, a lower-cost alternative to the more popular movie rental stores. My local library, for example, rents DVDs for $1 and children's movies are free. One drawback is a limited movie selection and VHS copies of older releases.

Thanks to self-service technology, libraries can still compete when it comes to customer convenience. According to the American Library Association, there are more than 117,000 libraries in the United States serving millions of people. One quarter of library patrons check out videos.

Often DVDs, VHS tapes and music/computer CDs are kept behind the circulation desk or in expensive, locked cabinets. These items are bar coded, scanned and checked out just like books. But unlike books, patrons aren't free to pull them from the shelves themselves. Oleg Boyarsky, president and CEO of Library Automation Technologies Inc., said it's common to have one or two library staff members dedicated solely to circulating DVDs and CDs.

Boyarsky's company provides self-checkout kiosks to libraries across the country. LAT recently added the Intelligent Media Manager self-check out kiosks to its product line. The IMM is "essentially a capability for libraries to address the annoying problem of theft of DVDs and CDs," explained Boyarsky. The kiosk will make its formal debut at the American Library Association's Mid-Winter Conference in Boston, January 2005.

Thieves, said Boyarsky, are often clever enough to bypass traditional door alarms in their haste to make off with stolen goods. Long countertops at the circulation desks often block library staff from quickly catching would-be thieves.

For many library patrons already using some type of self-checkout device for books, using a DVD kiosk is a rather natural progression. Boyarsky said the self-service aspect appeals to kids as well as older adults - two groups of people who prefer to do things themselves.

To use the IMM, you simply scan your library card, choose your DVD or CD, and remove it from the slot. Items are returned to the kiosk and are immediately available for circulation. The IMM connects to the library's existing circulation system.

The kiosk frees up space by replacing bulky cabinetry. Most libraries, said Boyarsky, would only require one self-checkout kiosk that holds up to 1,500 titles.

Borrowing from retail

Boyarsky said products such as the IMM are blurring the line between what is a store and what is not. The IMM can easily become a store, with items sold instead of borrowed. Retailers can add rentals.

"Any store can plunk one of these things (self-checkout kiosk) down and become a rental store," noted Boyarsky. While this makes Blockbuster less unique, DVD-rental kiosks add a revenue stream for grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies.

While Boyarsky's priority is the library market, he sees a need for similar self-service kiosks in corporate environments, where information is stored on CDs and housed in silos. Kiosks can control access to this information in architectural firms, law firms, medical offices and chemical companies.

RFID simplifies self-checkout

The growing acceptance of self-service technology in retail is definitely leading to its adoption by other markets, such as libraries. This is according to Douglas Karp, Sr., director and general manager, I.D. Products Group, Checkpoint Systems, Inc., a provider of radio frequency-based loss prevention systems.

"With RFID, the process for performing self-checkout is vastly improved over barcodes, making self-checkout very simple," Karp noted. "The library market has been one of the early adopters of the RFID technology and is already seeing the benefits in increased self-checkout usage Â…"

Karp predicts the market for self-service technology in libraries will continue to grow. He attributes the expected growth in part to tighter library budgets and increased library traffic.

Also, library staff may soon be in short supply. According to U.S. Census data, approximately one-fourth of all librarians with master's degrees will reach the age of 65 before 2009. This does not factor in early retirements, death, or other reasons for librarians to leave the profession.

"Self-service technology eases the burden on libraries," Karp added. "When patrons can check out their own materials at a self-checkout station, they decrease the time they spend in line and free the library staff to assist patrons with other tasks."

Library patrons will continue to `do it themselves' as the self-service market grows. Available technologies enable patrons to schedule library computer usage, pay for fines and copies, and add funds to cards and online accounts, according to Karp.