Case Study

 

The Need for Self-Service

By Library Automation Technology, Inc, Based on an Interview With Lon Dickerson, Library Director Jefferson Parish Library, LA

The library started leasing self-check equipment in 2001 because it was felt it would be popular. Many people enjoy chatting with staff at a circulation desk, but this time-honored system can tie up staff for long periods of time. Staff is also tied up at the desk when business is slow. So a library has to hire more staff to give customers the type of personal attention they need to find what they are seeking. In addition, many customers don’t want to wait in line for someone to check out their items or for staff to comment on what they are borrowing. I knew from per-sonal experience that self-check units free up staff to help people find what they want. I also knew that more customer-friendly equipment than what we had was avail-able.

“Today self-service is a crucial component of survival.“
Lon Dickerson / Library Director Jefferson Parish Library, LA

Critical Features

We were looking for equipment that was user-friendly and easy to use. We found that even people who had tried our old self-help unit wouldn’t use it again be-cause it wasn’t responsive and it didn’t reduce the amount of time needed to check things out. If there was a problem with an ac-count, the person was directed to the circulation desk with no explanation of what was wrong. It was a frustrating experience, and it hap-pened repeatedly.

We wanted people to be told if their library card had expired, they had outstanding fines or overdue items, etc. We wanted people to have the ability to pay their fines and resolve other problems at the self-check unit without going to the circulation desk and standing in line. We also wanted equipment that could communicate with customers in languages other than English. We wanted equipment that would at-tract people, satisfy their needs, and draw them back as repeat customers.

Media Security

We were losing 25% of our DVDs. It was easy for people to remove/pocket a disc and leave the empty case behind. Self-check vendors provide a number of options that will reduce the number of stolen DVDs and CDs, but most of them are cumbersome and/or labor intensive. We wanted something that would prevent our DVD and CD discs from being stolen and, at the same time, be easy for both customers and staff to use.

Now we no longer think in terms of utilizing self-service primarily as a means of freeing up staff to help people find what they want. Today self-service is a crucial component of survival. Although we have reduced hours of operation at some small and mid-size libraries, we do not anticipate closing any of the libraries we had pre-Katrina. That’s largely because we continued to investigate and then install different self-service technologies post-Katrina. We are terribly short-staffed, but self-service enables us to cope with the situation.

We currently have self-check equipment at 8 libraries, and we anticipate adding to 3 other branches. Majority of our customers like the equip-ment we are using now. They have become accustomed to checking out materials themselves in much the same way that people took to ATM machines.

I started working in public libraries over 50 years ago, and I’ve seen firsthand how circulation procedures have evolved over the years. I don’t see our library or most libraries turning back the clock. Self-check is here to stay; the equipment will only get more efficient and cheaper.

Library Automation Technology, Inc. is exclusively focused on creating and building library patron self-checkout systems. For more than ten years our management and technology team has been involved in the software design, engineering development and service of library patron self-checkout for major industry vendors. www.latcorp.com