After several years of preparation, self-service borrowing and return based on radio frequency identification became available in our library.
In the past two years, more than 200 000 documents have been RFID tagged, allowing books to be borrowed in seconds without the help of a librarian at the dedicated terminals. After identification with a library card, you can simply place all the documents you want to borrow in the designated area of the terminal. After automatic recognition, the system validates the loan and sends an e-mail or prints a paper receipt.
Two terminals have been installed in our building, one in the lobby and one at the circulation desk. Besides the lending service, these self-service terminals allow you to check out live loans and extend deadlines. The device in the lobby also offers the possibility of returning books beyond the opening hours of the library, during the time period when the building is open.
The installation of the devices is part of a four-year university-wide development, which started in 2021. Coordinated by the University Library and Archives, the new service will be continuously available in the member libraries of the University Library Service (faculty, dormitory libraries). The innovative technology supports not only lending but also library background work, including automatic inventories.
We wish all visitors to enjoy using the new devices.