Convenient customer service: a virtual library card

Source: http://blog.tacomapubliclibrary.org/?attachment_id=792

That's the same smile as my son's when he got his first library card in age 5. But nobody knows where it is now. My current library card is a key chain card. I don't have any complaint about it because the key chain is the item around me all the time. It is much better than a credit-sized card; however, it is getting worn and need to be replaced someday. If there is a library card that would never be worn nor need to be changed? Check out the following YouTube video.

Free apps such as CardStar and KeyRing allow users to load all plastic reward cards (including the library card) from a key chain on the phone smartphone. Indian Prairie Public Library (http://ippl.info/blog/2012/03/28/we-can-scan-your-barcode-from-your-smartphone/), Boulder Library (http://boulderlibrary.org/card/cardstar.html), and Morristown & Morris Township Library (http://www.jfpl.org/polNews.cfm?Year=2011&Month=12) have introduced the virtual card. There are some resistance to the new technology and purchase of a new scanner, a charge-coupled device (CCD) scanner, but according to CardStar, library cards are the 7th most popular card stored in their system (http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/889495-264/library_cards_on_smartphones_the.html.csp).

Further reading:

• http://www.govtech.com/education/Smartphones-Replacing-Library-Cards.html
• http://www.jfpl.org/polimage.cfm?doc_Id=1027&size_code=Doc

Source: http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2011/scanning-library-cards-on-smartphones/