Libraries Launce New Smartphone Checkout Capability
Katy, TX (February 3, 2016) Want to check out something from the library, but don’t always carry your library card with you? Now patrons at Fort Bend County Libraries can use their smartphone to take a picture of their library barcode and use that picture to check out items at the library’s checkout desk!
Barcode scanners with the capability to read images have been installed at all checkout desks in the library system. These new barcode scanners are able to read the barcode from a picture taken with any type of smartphone. The barcode image on the smartphone must be clear and able to be read horizontally by the scanner. The picture should be taken directly over the card – not at an angle – and must not show any glare over the barcode.
“These days, when so many people carry their smartphones with them wherever they go, this new ability to check out items from the library simply by displaying their smartphone with an image of their barcode brings an added element of convenience for our patrons,” says Library Director Clara Russell.
The new barcode scanners are also able to read the actual library card, so patrons may choose to use the new technology to scan their own card, as well as the image of their card, themselves.
For more information, call the library system’s Public Information Office at 281-633-4734, or ask at any of the libraries in the Fort Bend County library system.
