New allCIRC Pix @ flickr

Click on Pic, cat or chick, to get the flickr set, you bet!

1966- Good Advice For Libraries from the Comics:

CLICK ON THE PIC TO EMBIGGEN

NEW! allCIRC VIDEO!

Well, here it is, folks. a 2 minute video explaining how the allCIRC works and an actual allCIRC in action, with real-time delivery of a disc.

CALL US AT 856-566-4121 TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, OR FOR A WEB PRESENTATION

New pictures at Flickr

Well, we just posted more pictures of our equipment at flickr. Link is in the right sidebar.

Or here. or at the picture above.

But, having pointed you there, I will also state that you should not think of FlashScan as 2-ish configurations; FlashScan is whatever you want it to be. If you've got room for a large attache' case or more you've got a FlashScan.

We'll embed our units into your existing counter(s) - funiture you've chosen - furniture you've instructed us to obtain - whatever. So while the 907 remains one of the smallest and most portable units on the market and the MAX one of the lightest & cleverest (2 to 4 turn into a kiosk!) it can really be anything your imagination can come up with as long as there's a space for the electronics.

ANY ILS
ANY security
and now..........ANY exterior

Archivists state most digital content is not stable

Check out an interesting arcticle at CBC News pointing out how most digitial content today is not stable

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/03/19/nb-digitalrecords.html

In the article, those who maintain New Brunswick's provincial archives are concerned that much of the digital content produced today is not going to make it into the future.

The article points out how susceptible digital media is to damage whereas audio tape that had been submerged in floods was so swollen it went off the reel, but yet the data was recoverable. If a CD had one-tenth of one per cent of the damage on one of those reels, it wouldn't play, period. The whole thing would be corrupted and lost.

Archivists say the domestic digital formats available to the average consumer, such as standard CDs and DVDs, are not stable and were never intended to be used for long-term storage.

Archivists believe a safe and foolproof way to save digital material is right around the corner, but until then, it's up to everyone to do what they can to preserve their digital documents. They say that if you want to preserve your visual and audio memories, make copies of copies on digital, but always keep any analog originals.

Library CD/DVD theft ... tip of an iceberg?

Take a look at: http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/mar/15theft.htm

A man steals CDs from the library and sells them in a mall. How stupid, eBay is much easier :)

In my opinion, this scenario is only a start of a wave that will force libraries to take extreme measures to protect whatever media collections they have. As libraries try to compete and purchase "latest greatest" CDs/DVDs, this kind of rampage is to be expected, especially since selling these things has gotten to be so much easier. Furthermore, since copying CDs/DVDs is so simple, the lure of stealing a good CD and then selling it multiple times is great...

And...if you think RFID will stop it... then I have a certain bridge that's for sale...

Any thoughts?

The Message behind self service kiosk interfaces

Mark Hurst from the goodexperiences.com blog
states:
"Digital user interfaces like websites and kiosks are especially telling, because they combine many aspects of the company - marketing, technology, branding, and the service value itself - into a small area of on-screen real estate. Customer-centered home pages tend to be made by the most customer-centered organizations."

Which begs the question: "How can I reflect that my library cares about the customer (patron) via their self-check experience?

Some librarians (and even boards!) think that by installing self-check you're losing contact with the patron experience, while blindly forging ahead with more books, more media, and less staff to do it with.

That's why we at LAT developed the interface we have. Because it DOES make a difference-

No splash page, waiting for the patron to guess the next step...
we have a repeating Flash animation (friendlier, bigger, brighter) that can guide you through a transaction without words or sounds - even though we have them




















8 languages to show the diversity of patrons that we care about all of them

and billboard & browser windows to help throughout the transaction.

By buying a FlashScan self check, you do more than just provide freedom for both patrons and librarians alike - you make statement that you care about them.

Ha! In your face, Blockbuster, Netflix, et al.!!!!

Now all Sluggo's library needs is an allCirc tm

Is "Self" in "self service" really negative?

As I was cleaning out my office file, I came across an old note, from Duncan Highsmith (the son of the founder of Highsmith Inc.,) that referred to a conversation that I had with him over drinks year ago about terms and terminology. He mentioned that the term "self checkout" for a library was a very negative statement - it implies that you are the one doing all the work. Almost like, the work which was done before by someone else, will now be done by you - "self".

I guess it stuck in my mind, as I recall our recent two hour internal meeting at the launch of our expanded product line (allCIRC) of how difficult it was to make sure that the name that we choose projects positive feeling, for both the end-users (patrons) and the library staff (administrators). The importance of "feel" vs. "function". This mentality expands to other things as well. I recall a number of visits to our booths at various library shows of folks that would dedicate more time to the color of the "wood finish" rather than to the overall value of the offering that we had.

I guess even in the library world, we still cling to the old cliches and do still judge the "book by its cover"... hopefully our new allCIRC will change that :)

Pictures of FlashScans

Hey, We set up a Flickr slide show! Libraries wanted to see our gear in various locations, so HERE it is: ( Also with linx at pix)

Reasons why FlashScan self Checks are Awesome # 542: Giftwrap!!

Sent to us by a loyal user out in Colorado, where apparently, nothing goes to waste.
Her co-worker actually took the time to craft this giftwrap from receipts from our FlashScan units.

Well, I suppose it'd be true if you had FlashScan self-checks......

I know, some of you are thinking of additional letters to add at the end of that shh-
why not calm down with some reading??

OhThankGhod! 33 reasons Librarians are Extremely Important

LINK TO Are Librarians Totally Obsolete?

aw, heck, we knew it was "no" all along - good assessment of the current playing field in the above article.

looky:
# 8. Digitization is going to take a while. A long while.
So, uh, you'll want to get that FlashScan Self Check you been eyeballing.....

# 9. Libraries aren’t just books
.....absoultely right! That's why you need an Intelligent Media Manager!
Yes we are incorrigible - incorrigiblerrific!

People Ask Me All the Time - What Are Librarians Like?

I tell 'em they're great, because they're subjected to retail-like conditions despite their intense training, with idiots coming up to them all the time - it makes 'em resilient and friendly!

Example

Library Robbery on My Name is Earl

Absolutely hysterical stuff. Earl and Co. steal a historic set of silverware- but no one can be trusted and skullduggery ensues. This week the full episode can be viewed HERE

(Dottie's the head librarian in Earl's town.)

Hey, since you're in a video mood, HERE's the video of the FlashScan MAX scanning all sorts of items, and HERE! is the video of the Intelligent Media Manager in action

Man returns book overdue since 1960

A role model for all patrons, eh?

Bookgasm's Compliment to the Local library

14 Books I Read in 2006 Absolutely Free, Thanks to My Local Library,
a post at BookGasm is typical of what they offer- excitement about books. It's refreshing to get their point of view.

It's also important that if great collections are built in libraries, it's important that there are efficient means to check that collection out.

Expensive Solutions for DVD Security Ruined by Engadget

This ENGADGET story (overall Technorati Rank for Engadget: 1. Blogs linking to it: 23,499 - ouch.) details the means to disbable security cases. As if it wasn't bad enough that kids pass this knowledge "through the grapevine", a detailed set of links acting as a "how-to" worsens the view for libraries that are currently using this expensive & time consuming technology.

Link to IMM video, which uses no cases as an alternative.
Link to LAT's Intelligent Media Manager product page

To quote the Engadget piece: "Remember kids, exposing weaknesses forces companies to be active about improving the security that should have been stronger in the first place.".....Like installing Intelligent Media Managers, hmmmm?