News

Brooklyn library system acquires new card-based kiosks

March 23, 2005

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - According to a news release, a new debit-based library card kiosk system from Xerox Corporation will allow users of the Brooklyn Public Library, the fifth largest public library system in the country, to access everything from Shakespeare to Snapple. The Patron Access Management service, developed and implemented by Xerox Global Services, integrates the library's computers, 74 Xerox digital BookMark copier-printers, 68 self-service kiosks, and ultimately Snapple Beverage Corp. vending machines with software and magnetic-stripe debit cards. With the Access Brooklyn Cards, which also feature barcodes, library users can check out books, videos and other media, access the copier/printers, and reserve computer time up to two days in advance. As with bank debit cards, the costs of individual services, such as printing and copying, are deducted from the ABC account. From the kiosks, people can swipe their ABC cards to purchase additional Internet access, check account balances, add funds, or review a list of library materials they may currently have checked out to ensure timely returns. Before the Xerox system was installed, the Brooklyn library system managed the reservation process for its 1,000 PCs by hand. It was also losing money in paper, maintenance and supplies. Based on the costs of those former processes, the library estimates that the service will ultimately save approximately $1.2 million. "Prior to this project with Xerox, the library faced the manual process of managing 1.6 million reservations for patrons and managing nine million pages of free printing," said Ginnie Cooper, executive director of the Brooklyn Public Library. "This program has improved the way we do business. It has allowed our staff to spend more time assisting library users and has resulted in real cost savings."