Self-Checkout at The Library?

The future could be now. Image via LibBest

Don’t you love going to the supermarket or hardware store and have the convenience of self-checkout? Shouldn’t a similar system be used in a library? RFID technology is nothing new for libraries. For years, anti-theft tags have been used to stop intentional and accidental removal of unchecked materials. RFID tags expand on this by enabling the following.

• Upon checkout the tag ID is listed as checked out in the database and bound to the patron.
• Books that pass through security are checked with the database dynamically to ensure they are checked out. This simplifies circulation overhead by no longer requiring a security stripe to be disabled or re-enabled upon checkout, collection, and shelving.
• The physical location of a book can be tracked using a Digital Library Assistant. Imagine an incorrectly shelved book, waiting on some forgotten shelf until discovered by weeding or chance observation. These systems are standard in warehouses.

When a library’s collection can be indexed and tracked by a computer, self-checkout kiosks become an obvious progression.

See some examples of similar systems all ready in use.

Video demonstration of an RFID self-checkout – Queens Library

Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii  - Self-checkout using 3M Self-Checkout stations..

Policies and procedures for Self-Checkout – At New York University