Customer Self Service in the Hybrid Library

By Holt, Glen E.

Description
Professional Publication

Excerpt
Management Summary: Customer self service, the taking over by patrons of parts of library-work processes, is a powerful tool in reallocating library resources to new media and information technology. The new tool creates possibilities for introducing new products and processes beside the more traditional library business. Identification of patrons and materials by barcode is a reliable technique and can be used with great success in self service when combined with electro-magnetic security devices. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a rather new and to some extend still unstandardised technique with promising ease of use for both library staff and patrons. The rather high costs of RFID-labels and security problems that still have to be overcome made RFID for most libraries a technique for the future but not for today. Depending on the starting point in the individual library, RFID can be a good choice based on a cost benefit analysis as well as on a comparison of convenience for users. Those libraries already using barcodes suited for self service processes or even with a barcode-based self service process will gain rather small efficiency-steps by introducing RFID.

Table of Contents
Table of contents I. Managment summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 II . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1. The hybrid library ? introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 1.1 Definition of the hybrid library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ? OPACs in the hybrid library ? Self service in the hybrid library ? Supporting self check technologies ? OPAC availability assumed 1.2 Externalities affecting the hybrid library context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ? Competition ? Self service ? Higher costs ? Competition for work specialists ? Need for change and continuity 1.3 Strategies for institutional change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 ? End work tasks ? Emphasize access rather than assets ? Develop new income sources ? Enlarge scale of operations ? Redefine work ? Outsource work tasks ? Adapt new technology 1.4 Helping library patrons help themselves: many different tools . . . . . . . 13 ? Open shelves ? Digitisation of materials ? Sufficient number of computer (and Internet) work stations ? Individual patron profiling and notification ? FAQ?s ? 100 most frequently asked questions ? Virtual tours ? Training tutorials ? Distribution of library offers ? Reservations ? Reservations: interlibrary loans (ILLs) ? Pick up of reserved material ? Renewals ? Payment: towards a cashless library