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Commissioners consider library self-checkout

Debra W. Buehn
Posted 1/17/18

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – With an eye toward the future, Clay County is taking a look at technology that would allow library patrons to check in and out their own books, freeing up librarians to do work …

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Commissioners consider library self-checkout


Posted

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – With an eye toward the future, Clay County is taking a look at technology that would allow library patrons to check in and out their own books, freeing up librarians to do work that makes better use of their skills.

Meeting in a workshop session Jan. 16 to discuss the library, the Board of County Commissioners directed staff to look further into RFID technology, which stands for Radio Frequency Identification that would allow library patrons to scan their own books for check in and check out, as well as pay their fines. It would also help with inventory, officials said. The thinking is such a system would free up those working in the libraries to work more closely with patrons on programs, books and other items that would benefit the system, its employees and its users more.

Because they met in a workshop session, no official vote could be taken. That will be done at a regular BCC meeting, and will happen after staff brings back a more specific report on costs of an RFID program and what it is all about. The board was somewhat split in its support of the RFID idea, with Commission Chairman Gavin Rollins among those who felt it should be looked at very seriously.

“My thought is we have to do this,” Rollins said. “As the county continues to grow, we’re going to have to expand libraries and we’re going to have to have this system.”

Rollins said that not only was the system more efficient, but it was valuable because of what it did for the staff.

“We have a lot of very intelligent people working in the library system who have advanced degrees and that type of thing and their highest and best use isn’t always just scanning a book out,” he said.

Rollins emphasized he wasn’t in favor of downsizing or seeing any library worker lose their job because of the new system, but rather wanted to see their skills put to better use.

Commissioner Wayne Bolla agreed, especially since the libraries will be expanding their hours as of Feb. 1. Library hours were cut after the economic crisis of 2008-2009 in a cost-saving effort.

“It’s part of the key to getting the hours extended without hiring a ton of people,” he said.

Cost of an RFID system was the main concern for two county commissioners – Gayward Hendry and Mike Cella – who said they had some reservations. Troy Nagle, information services director for the county and the person who presented the library report to the BCC at the workshop, said the initial cost would probably be around $300,000.

“I’ve had to do inventories at libraries manually and that is a bear,” said Hendry. “However, I think $300,000 at this time would be a little much for our budget.”

But Bolla said the system would save money over time.

“So we save an equivalent person at every library, practically. That’s a lot,” he said.

Commissioner Diane Hutchings agreed, and also said the money comes from different sources of funding. The RFID comes from capital improvement funds, which she said the county currently had more of, while the other expense would come from general revenue.

“We’re tight on that,” she said.

But Cella, who serves as the vice chairman of the BCC, said he still had reservations.

“I have reservations specifically because of the costs and what [Capital Improvement Plan] projects we’re either going to delay or do away with,” he said.

The system would also require a labor-intensive period at its installation as all materials would have to be outfitted with an RFID tag for check-out and check-in purposes, Nagle said. But he added that issue had already been looked at and people identified who could handle that if the system is instituted.

In the end, the staff was tasked with looking further into pricing and other matters dealing with the RFID system, as well as other options. That information will be brought back to the BCC, along with a more specific library report dealing with other issues that were discussed by commissioners and staff at the Jan. 16 workshop, at a future BCC meeting, where it can be discussed and eventually voted on.