Paper or Plastic?
Have you ever gone to the grocery store at non-peak hours and found only self-checkout lines available to you? I find nothing to be quite so reprehensible as being forced (forced!) to scan my own items, fumble through unfamiliar produce menus, and then bag my items in what will inevitably be a less-than-skillful way, often resulting in overfilled plastic bag calamity. I have been against the self check out since its inception. It eliminates jobs, does not typically cut down grocery lines, and generally irks me. So you might understand my fury when I saw a self check out station at my local public library this morning.
While I myself have never worked as a library clerk, I feel I have a general understanding of t
he position. It is not your typical check-out job. You talk to patrons, you assist them in finding things they might have had trouble finding. The level of service and enthusiasm far exceeds that of the typical cashier. I always try to joyfully engage the clerks behind the desk in conversations about my choices, and though not every library clerk is in the mood to discuss why I hate Palahniuk but read him anyway, I thought the the library was a haven where machines would never be able to replace real human interaction. I am no old fogey who curses the loss of card catalogs to OPACS, I work in library technology, I celebrate innovation. But I feel that the library self check out removes the human interaction that is integral to our very existence. If library patrons wanted to simply pick up books and leave quietly, they would order their books shipped to their home branch and quietly pick them up at the circulation desk, no browsing or chatting involved.
Today I walked into the library, returned my book in the return slot, walked upstairs to the second floor adult fiction section, browsed, chose, checked out, and left. I did not interact with a single staff member. I didn’t make small talk about library school, I didn’t chatter about the nice day we were having. My library experience was lonely. Granted, I could have gotten into the line at circulation and checked out my books with a real, genuine library employee, but when I see a newfangled piece of technology I have to try it out. The self checkout was not easy, the machine instructed me to scan my book barcode, and then push my book into the corner-y area [probably to deactivate the tattler]. However, books have several barcodes! It took me a couple embarrassed minutes to realize I was scanning the barcode a book store scans, not the library barcode. I pressed on, and checked out my second book with ease.
I think self check out might be the solution for overcrowded public libraries who are unable to hire enough support stuff to man circulation at peak times, but besides that I see very little reason for it. The loss in value of service does not make up for the convenience. I also think it is vital that self check outs are placed near circulation desks, so that there is someone available to help the (often perplexed) checkout station user. The one I used was hidden away in the teen section, which worked to my advantage because the long line of people at circulation did not know about it, and therefore I was able to proceed without any wait, but overall, as a future library employee, I know I shouldn’t be so selfish.
Filed under: By: Miss Information, libraries | 3 Comments
Tags: libraries, lonely in the library, replacing human interaction, self-check out, technology
my branch has two, right across from the circulation desk and at kid height. I see more kids with there parents using it than anyone else. For that, it is a god-send. Not that I have anything against munchkins, having worked as a page in a children’s room, it means that I can boogie up to the front counter and have my pleasant chat with the circulation clerk and find out about my fines or the new programs coming.
Having the self-checkout for kids and their parents, who often get a lot of help, vs those of us who only might talk to someone when we’re checking out is a wonderful thing.
Wow, your library is really old-fashioned. The Seattle Public Library has had self-checkout for years, and uses RFID chips instead of barcodes. The Central Library even has an automated return system that works on a conveyor belt.
I actually like the self-checkout system. There seem to be more actual library employees to help you find a book, they are not all tied up checking people out. We can even fetch our own held books. And there is still assisted check-out for those who are technophobes. Or for the rare book that for some reason doesn’t register or turn off the security system, and needs human intervention.
The problem isn’t self checkout. The problem is that no staff member approached you to make sure you were finding everything you need or just to chat. Your library needs a new service model to go along with their new self checkout machines.