The City of Coronado's Public Library is the first library in California to offer its patrons the ability to check out items at the shelf using their smartphone. The Coronado Public Library has been working over the last two months with developer Bibliotheca (formerly 3M) on the “scan and go” product, which allows patrons with any type of smartphone to check books out and leave the library without setting off alarm gates.
Once a patron finds an item to take home, they open the Cloud Library app on their phone, click the “checkout” icon and simply move their phone slowly over the back cover. The new service uses NFC, or “near field communication” technology, which has also been adopted at retail outlets, including Sam’s Club. This is the first library “scan and go” product to work for both Android and Apple devices and which does not require patrons to stop at a pad near the exit to desensitize items before leaving.
“We are constantly exploring new ways to improve the customer experience and with this technology we are leading the field in maximizing convenience for our patrons,” said Coronado Library Director, Shaun Briley. Patrons can use the same app to see what items are on their account, view over 2,000 streaming movies, or checkout one of up to 250,000 eBooks available through Cloud Link.
The app also holds the patron’s barcode and can be used in place of a library card should the patron decide to use one of the self-checkout machines in the lobby instead. Multiple accounts can be linked to the app on one phone, for instance for parents or spouses, so that it is no longer necessary to carry library cards for those who use it. The service is available with immediate effect.
To access the new check-out technology, patrons will need to download the Cloud Library app to their device and follow the one-time steps to link it to their library account using their Coronado library card. The Coronado Public Library is located at 640 Orange Avenue and is open seven days a week, excluding holidays. For more information on the library, check the Coronado Public Library website.
Contact
Shaun Briley, Director
E: [email protected]
T: 619-522-7395