Ideas for Improving Patron Service at Your Library, Regardless of Your Department

Self-Checkout Machines Improving patron service doesn’t always mean providing the human touch; in fact sometimes it can mean giving the patron the option to forgo the human touch. One example of this is self-checkout machines. There are many reasons why a patron might prefer to use a self-checkout machine. They may be in a real […]

Library News Update: Libraries unite to increase size of catalog, Helping Seniors Learn New Technology, Library Appreciates Support – Offers Free Alerts

The Library of Congress has a wide array of historical collections. The latest to be digitized and made available to the public for viewing is a set of 400 early Twentieth Century panoramic postcards. The postcard collection took 4 years to digitize and represents 39 states. They can be viewed online. Additionally the Library of […]

The Best Meebo Alternative for Libraries: Mosio’s Text a Librarian

Mosio’s Text a Librarian now includes Chat + Text Messaging + Email + Website Support Tab Widgets The Best Meebo Alternative for Libraries: Mosio’s Text a Librarian We’d like to start by congratulating the Meebo team on being acquired by Google. We had the chance to meet with a few of them back when we […]

SMS from Red Phones!?

I was intrigued by the news that both President Obama and Russian President Medvedev would prefer to communicate with each other via texting and email.  It seems as if Obama’s much-discussed addiction to his Blackberry before moving into the White House still influences his communication customs.  Some habits are hard to break but it also […]

How Important is Patron Privacy at Your Library? 5 Tips for Increased Security

I’ve never ever had a librarian tell me “we do not care about patron privacy or security at our library.”  And come to think of it, I haven’t had them even say it’s not that big of a deal. Security breaches stink and they can be harmful as the news of Twitter’s secret information exposed […]