Photograph by George Sakkestad
Stacy Dobner helps her son Matthew use the new self-checkout machine in the children's area of the Los Gatos Public Library.
Check it out--there's a new machine for kids at the library
Self-checkout machine is very child-friendly
By Gloria I. Wang
The Los Gatos Public Library has just become more technologically advanced--and more child-friendly--with the installation of a self-checkout machine.
The device, set inside the children's library, allows children and non-English speakers to check out books and other materials without having to wait in line at the checkout counter.
The computer will scan patrons' library cards and the bar codes of books and media, with onscreen directions in simple language and an accompanying instructional video. Library systems administrator Maureen Roll said the machine uses the same kind of multidirectional scanning technology that's in grocery store checkout aisles.
Roll installed the machine April 30 and said the first person to use it was a 4-year-old during the preschool story hour.
The library decided to put the technology in the children's library for a variety of reasons, Roll said. First, parents tend to check out a large number of picture books for young children and, with this new device, they can take their time doing it on their own.
Also, Roll said, parents can check out books while their children are engrossed in the story time in the same room, keeping an eye on their children. Kids will no longer have to wait in line with adults, disrupting the quiet of the reading room.
"We put it here as a starting point. We would hope to get another [machine]," Roll said.
According to Roll, circulation at the library has gone up by 30 percent this year, causing librarians to be even busier than they have been in the past. Many other libraries in neighboring cities-including Cupertino and San Jose-already have the self-checkout machines.
While the devices customarily cost $20,000 to $30,000, the Los Gatos Public Library was able to negotiate a deal, with the machine and all associated software purchased for less than $20,000. The Friends of the Los Gatos Public Library paid for all the costs.
Roll spent two weeks testing the system and making sure all the kinks were ironed out. She was able to resolve a problem with the sensitivity of the touch screen, but the remaining problem persisted. "It thinks it's the year 2000," Roll said. All due date cards listed 2000 as the return date.
Roll said the library will not penalize patrons who return such materials, since library records will have the correct date.
In the next few weeks, the library will have signs advertising the self-checkout machine, as well as staff promoting the system. But marketing the system won't be necessary, Roll said."It's sort of selling itself."
Noelle Akyol checked out her children's books on the second day the machine was installed. Akyol said that the machine, although unlike the one she was familiar with at San José Public Library, was self-explanatory. Akyol decided to use the system because her children were nearby, keeping themselves entertained after the story hour.
"It's so easy, even my 5-year-old could use it," Akyol said
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
