[Publib] "I don't need my library card -- I've got my iphone!"

[Conrad Rader]

Well, OK, I am familiar with the app, it's supposed to take the place of all
the barcoded convenience cards that currently live on people's keychains,
you can read about it here (
http://lifehacker.com/5278532/cardstar-creates-scanner+friendly-bonus-cards-on-iphones
).

It seems to me this is another moment of "do we make things harder on people
by being inflexible" or do we see a new opportunity?
Why aren't we coming up with an app to replace the self checkout machine.
iPhones can do barcode scanning as well as storing...

In any case what do you do when people use someone else's card?  If the self
checkout only takes the barcode without a confirmation or authorization
code, perhaps the existing procedure needs to be tweaked rather than
generating ill will by banning a patron's convenience.

Conrad Rader
Niles District Library

On Mon, Jul 20, 2009 at 3:10 PM, Becky Rose <beckyinthemountains at hotmail.com
> wrote:

>  Greetings,
>
> I'm wondering if any of you have encountered patrons using their iphones
> "in place of" their library cards when doing self checkout, and if so, what
> have you "done about it" (if anything)?
>
> I am NOT an iphone owner, so I'm not sure if this is a specific "app" -
> or people simply taking a picture of their library barcode. Bottom line
> here, is that it WORKS on our self-checkout machines -- but some staff are
> concerned that a "policy" needs to be developed to "deal with" this. (As you
> know, resourceful patrons could actually recreate a scannable barcode any
> number of ways in the past -- but the iphone is definitely an "enabler".) We
> DO have language on our card application that says that patrons must have
> their card with them whenever they conduct "any library transaction", but if
> we "police" our self-checkout machines for iphone "creative users", that's
> obviously defeating their purpose.)
>
> Any comments/experiences/whatever would be appreciated,
>
> Thanks,
>
> -Becky Rose-
> Cedar Mill Public Library
> Cedar Mill, OR
> beckyro at wccls.org
>
>
>
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