BABS is here.
The Borrow A Book Swiftly technology was officially unveiled at Cochrane’s Nan Boothby Memorial Library on Dec. 4. Ribbons were cut, cake was served, and the new self-scan book checkout device was immediately put into action by youngsters checking out their own books at the electronic kiosk located at the front of the library in Cochrane.
The black, with blue lighting, book self-checkout stand looks like a sleek bank automated-teller machine that scans bar codes on books.
“If you’re in a rush, you can check the books out and you’re out the door,” explains Nan Boothby Memorial Library executive-director Jeri Maitland. “Kids really like the technology. This machine, they can actually choose the screen saver. It will tell you if you have books overdue. It will tell what books you have out. It will tell you when your books need to come back.”
The library self-checkout technology isn’t new, which has benefitted the library’s bottom line. Checking in at around $25,000 five years ago, the local library scored BABS for $10,600 this year.
“It’s a great asset to our library, that’s for sure,” said Town of Cochrane Library board chair Joan Urschel at the machine’s unveiling ceremony. “And it’s so spiffy.”
Maitland elaborated: “It really does help eliminate lineups at the counter. It just moves things through a little more quickly.”
