Library kiosks growing as cities reduce staff, hours

Library kiosks growing as cities reduce staff, hours
Tags: Government, Government Self-Service, Kiosks, North America, Self-Checkout, Trends / Statistics
November 1, 2010

Libraries in the United States are turning to kiosks for book rental, driven by budget constraints and the desire to reach more readers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The so-called robo-libraries are rare but providers are seeing greater interest. Germantown, Md.-based Public Information Kiosk has had 25 orders for its book-and-DVD-dispensing machine and CEO Fred Goodman estimated the company will sell at least twice as many units in 2011. And library-software firm Evanced Solutions will begin testing a vending device it plans to start selling early next year.

(See "Libraries get a read on self-serve check-in/checkout kiosks," Oct. 18)