CAPE MAY, N.J., Jan. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A newly installed D-Tech International lendIT™ at Baruch College in New York City is increasing students' access to material previously available only at the colleges Newman Library circulation desk. The book vending machine allows items to be securely checked out and returned 24 hours a day, when the library is closed and without staff assistance.
D-Tech International lendIT™ is making it possible for students to check out reserved material any time, including when the school's Newman Library is closed. Checkout this video
Installed ahead of the fall 2019 semester, the book vending machine is being used to strengthen the course reserves program. The program allows students to borrow faculty-assigned textbooks from the library's circulation desk and accounts for 75 percent of loans. "Textbook loans account for at least three-quarters of our book loans," said Arthur Downing, Vice President for Information Services and Dean of the Library. But the program was only available during circulation desk hours. "During the year, our library is open every day from 7 a.m. to midnight," Downing said. "During midterms and final exams, it's open 24 hours." However, the college can only staff the reserve loan desk from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., he said. A need for access outside operating hours prompted the move to automated technology, and the lendIT kiosk was stocked with 210 of the most frequently circulated textbooks. "Now, students have access to the books whenever they need them," Downing said.
The college placed the unit in a high-traffic hallway outside the library and next to a lounge where students can eat and drink. Eating and drinking is not permitted inside the library. Baruch also filled the machine with copies of the most popular books, so now they're available at both the circulation desk and the kiosk.
Self-service technologies, like D-Tech's lendIT, and other kiosks that dispense library items, such as the company's laptop vending machine, continue to be used unconventionally within the library market.
Academic libraries with staff limits, similar to Baruch's could also benefit from lendIT's ability to put a library anywhere. Instead of course material only being available at a circulation desk during library hours, lendIT could make it accessible 24 hours a day.
At Baruch, students use the machine's simple touchscreen interface to borrow materials directly from the kiosk. They'll be able to check out the items located inside by simply scanning their library card. The machine also accepts, re-shelves and can immediately redistribute returned material to the next student. It can dispense CDs and DVDs as well.
Baruch College also offers a 24-hour digital reserves program. With the addition of lendIT, it is now be able to provide roughly the same unlimited access to physical items. The device also helps ensure students pursue their studies uninterrupted and without limitations.
D-Tech International has supplied the global library market with state-of-the-art self-service, inventory management and security equipment for nearly 20 years. The company was founded in the United Kingdom in 2001 and expanded to the United States in 2011. Its innovative products can be found in libraries throughout the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and at locations in New Zealand, Dubai, Italy, Bulgaria and Peru. D-Tech is headquartered in Cape May, N.J. and Suffolk, England. For more information, visit https://d-techinternational.com/us
SOURCE D-Tech International USA
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