Rising tide of U.K. libraries turning entirely to self-service

A growing number of libraries in the United Kingdom have begun eliminating their old check-in and checkout systems and replacing thementirely with RFID kiosks to check out, return or renew books, as well as pay fines or fees, according to the RFID Journal.

In such applications, the technology does much of the work — checking materials in and out, updating those items' status in the library-management system and instructing patrons how to sort the returned items to ensure they are put back on the shelves faster — and free up librarians to assist library patrons.