News

At the library, card catalogs give way to kiosks

March 16, 2005

Asbury Park Press: When Victoria DeGraw needed a book at her public library not long ago, she brought along a friend who helped her navigate the computer kiosks that have permanently shelved the old card catalogs she remembers from her childhood.

"It's a computerized world now," said DeGraw, 52, of Brick.

And today's libraries reflect that reality. At the Lakewood branch of the Ocean County Library System, for instance, patrons can now check out their own books using three new computerized FlashScan devices. A friendly female voice leads patrons through the automated process, reminding them at the end, "Remember to take your receipt."

"It's the wave of the future," said senior library assistant Claire Dyuran. "People are loving it."

Read more of this story.