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I love libraries. Especially the new Central Cambridge one!
By admin | February 5, 2010
Is it old hat to love your library? Do I care? I’ve always been a big fan and user of libraries. They’re great. They democratised learning, entertainment and access to information before the internet came along.
I could easily digress into the current state of print publishing (too much to say!) or the way technology news stories in the media fall into a handful of clichés that aim to polemicise our opinions (too annoying to begin), but I won’t!
The newly opened central library in Cambridge City centre nestles neatly into the newly updated shopping centre that has always been around it. The library has had a refreshing make-over that has brought it up-to-date not only in furnishing and habitat but also in technology. 
It now boasts self-service check in and check out systems. You can also pay your fines and renew your books that are at home if you want to. I’ve got used to using the online catalogue (which is hard to find online!) to find books in the catalogue that I can then ‘hold’ for pick up or to renew items that are about to go over. Very handy.
Now when I pop in to the library (2 floors above the nice new bike parking facility in the basement) my ‘held’ books are waiting on an open shelf for me to pick up…. Then I can check them out myself.
I scan my barcode into under the check out screen, enter my PIN (inevitably!) and put the books on the blue circle.
Hey presto they’ve been checked out and I’m off (after I’ve paid any fines if I need to, by putting money into the machine). Gawd bless RFID tags eh?
If I have books to check in I walk up to the check in screen and put my books on the conveyor belt, it checks them in and then the conveyor belt whisks them off to hidden depths. It’s all easier than using the self-service checkouts at the supermarket. Well done 3m! Great user experience 
Don’t worry, there are library staff around (still behind desks, this isn’t the apple store you know) if you want to get help, ask questions or whatever it may be.
I’m looking forward to giving the BFI Mediatheque a spin, but I’m saving that for a busy shopping day when I can slope off with the kids to escape from the retail frenzy into the preserve of the library…
Topics: Uncategorized |
May 17th, 2010 at 5:21 pm
And the cafe is inexpensive with a fab atmosphere. The only downside is power sockets. Why doesn’t each desk spot and chair have one?