You Ask, We Answer

We get a lot of great suggestions and questions in our comments box here at the library, and it's high time we shared! Every week we'll focus on a topic that you want to know about the library. So, if you're in the building, go ahead and fill out one of our yellow comment cards to get your topic in the spotlight. OR, since you're already reading this blog, make a comment now. We love to hear from you!

Libraries Gone Hi-Tech

Self-checkout machines and a DVD kiosk - the library has gone through some major changes in the past year. Some of you might wonder if technology really does make life better. In the library, the answer is yes.

For years we received requests from our users to allow more privacy in checking out materials. Some folks have personal concerns that they are researching, and don't want to share with the general population. We understand, and we responded to your needs. Our new self-checkout machines allow patrons the privacy they deserve while cutting down on the lines at the Accounts Desk to make checking out a faster and easier process. Before our self-checkout was introduced, it was normal to see lines wrap across the entryway. Now, there is seldom a wait of a more than a minute or two. And no one sees what you're checking out but you.

Which brings me to our second hi-tech tool, the DVD MediaBank. Missoula has a variety of residents, even some who are less honest than others. When our feature films started to go missing we looked for a better means of securing them. The MediaBank allows for full browsing by a variety of interests, and checks out the movie to the user before it hands over the DVD. But security was only part of our reason for using this new technology - folks who want to check out a movie don't have to wait with those checking out other materials so lines are shorter, your privacy is complete with self-service, and you can return the DVD straight to the machine for instant check-in and removal from your account. Some of you may recall our original DVD dispenser. Unfortunately, while the theory was sound, technology hasn't caught up enough to make it a viable, working machine. We got our money refunded as you would with anything you purchased that wasn't working properly, and moved on to a better solution.

With these hi-tech changes, serving you is our priority. Our staff is here to help you find materials, answer questions about your account, and get your suggestions of what's good to read, hear, or watch. Offering self-checkout frees up staff to be in the stacks where you have the most questions. We have "roving librarians" out and about, and we want to be stopped and asked questions - so please do! We are well-staffed and haven't experienced the layoffs other libraries have faced across the nation because we're lucky to have such a supportive community that funds the library and acknowledges us as an important place for lifelong learning and community connection. Thanks Missoula!

DVD Dispenser Goes Live!

We've finally gone live with our brand new DVD Dispenser/DVD Checkout machine. We wanted to be sure and work the bugs out before we let you, the patrons, start to use it. For the time being we'll have a staff member manning the machine to let you get the hang of things, just like when we moved to self-checkout before.

The new system is easy to use and you should only have to stand in one line, instead of two or three. And, as an added bonus, we have the most DVDs out that we've ever had before! Just check out the selection of Grab 'n Go movies!

So if you're looking for some movies for Memorial Day weekend, we're your first stop!

Dispense it like it's hot

Our new DVD Dispenser is here! Up until now, you've had to bring an empty DVD case up to the Accounts desk, wait around and have one of us grab your DVDs, then go check out. This works fine, until we get really busy and then you get stuck in line for 5 or 10 minutes. Now we have a solution!

This machine, located in Entertainment Central, will allow you to check out your DVDs and then dispense the disks to you. We're still working on getting it set up, but look for this to be active in the near future. Hopefully it will get more DVDs out to you faster!

The More You Know

To help our patrons use our new Self Checkout machines, I made a quick tutorial video. So, if you want to learn something while watching me make a fool of myself, this video is for you.

Happening RIGHT NOW!

We're in the midst of a huge change in the way things work here at the library. It used to be that when you had a hold on something, you just went to the checkout desk and we grabbed it from the back. Now, you can pick up holds yourselves.

This comes in anticipation of the new self-check out machines that should be coming very soon. In the future, you'll be able to grab your hold and check out without waiting for one of us to help you. This should keep your privacy at a maximum and your time spent in lines to a minimum.

The holds are shelved alphabetically by last name, and we've moved out the holds up to last names starting with "R," but more and more should be going out throughout the day. Each hold slip covers the title and cover of your item so no one but you should know what you have waiting for pick up. We hope to be fully operational with our self hold pick-up system by the end of the weekend. Wish us luck!

Getting A Little Color

At the beginning of the week our monolith/Stonehenge-like entrance to Entertainment Central got a splash of color. It's almost like the scattered sunny days we've seen lately gave it a tan!

Entertainment Central is still going through it's transition period. We have all of our Movies and CDs shelved there, but they aren't going to stay exactly where they are. We are still waiting for some new drawers to show up, but we have all kinds of room in the time being to put more of our music out than we ever could have before.

We're still a ways out in terms of completing the whole project, but it's happening slowly but surely.

I've heard a lot of comments from patrons who aren't really happy about the remodel and will miss having a face to face experience with a librarian when they check out, but not to worry! We all know how well self check out works other places (eg. Albertsons) so we'll still have a desk you can go to to check out materials, deal with account problems, ask questions, etc. And there will be a "roving librarian" who will assist you in the stacks and chat literary with you. We'd hate to give the impression we're doing away with customer interaction, we just want to give you all as many options as possible for checking out your materials as quickly (or slowly) as you want.

See Self Check Out For Yourself

Claire told you yesterday about the self check-out demo we had. But being geeky me, I had to take some pictures and let you all see for yourselves.This is the machine in action. You just place your card in on the machine, and it reads it. Then you just put your books in one by one and the machine checks them out to you and desensitizes in one swift blow. It even features a nifty video screen showing patrons where to place their cards. They told us we can film our own "tutorials" and use them instead of the stock footage. The bar code scanner is a real laser, unlike what we currently use. It is set to scan the barcode three times to verify your patron ID is what it is picking up, but don't worry, it only takes one or two seconds to do this. Then you just put your books up and let the laser do its thing. Once you're done, you can just walk out. It also features a touch screen. You can choose whether or not you want to a receipt by selecting yes or no on the screen.Of course I had to get a shot of the "guts" as well. It's pretty simple, just a Dell desktop running Windows XP pro. The really cool thing is that the system is RFID ready. We'll be making the switch to RFID labels for our AV collection when we implement the self check system so we can keep our items secure, but still let you check out by yourself quickly.

Self check has been a long time coming, look for it in the near future here at the Missoula Public Library

new toys

Today we got to play with self-check equipment. We've been putting off converting to self check-out for a couple of years now, but it's finally coming - and we're excited!

In a couple of months we'll get a demo unit for staff to work with and customize to our liking. (which really means customize to what we hope YOU will like). Be looking for these new machines towards the end of the year. Here's what it'll probably look like:

http://www.idrecall.com/checkeze.html

Don't like self check-out? Not to worry. We'll have an accounts desk where a staff member can check out your materials. Your choice.

and, as always, stay tuned!