Middle school self checkout is back, and better than ever!
After a bumpy couple of years (filled with lots of lost books and oops-I-checked-it-out-to-my-friend-but-I’ll-take-it-anyway and what-do-you-mean-I-never-checked-it-out-at-all), I admitted librarian defeat and closed down our self checkout station. Middle schoolers had to come to the circulation desk to checkout with me, and had no options when I was teaching or not in the library. And, unsurprisingly, our circulation plummeted. After all, what’s more important to a middle schooler than independence, trust, and privacy?
So after some brainstorming, we’re back in action and better than ever. Here’s what’s new:
Touchscreen: The new computer screen makes navigation easy with no need for a mouse or a keyboard
Binder: No more name typing, and getting lost in a sea of similar last names: just open to your grade, find your name in the alphabetical list, and scan
Speakers: Louder sound makes make it easy to hear if you’re dealing with a happy noise (successful checkout) or a sad noise (message from the computer)
Bullseye: This little detail (hopefully) means that the scanner will end up back in the same spot each time, so I won’t be tripping over it any more!
My test subjects have been so excited, I can already tell I made the right move! I’m working on a page for faculty, too, so self checkout is a breeze for everyone.
fitzbetweentheshelves.com 