Emeryville, CA—The Company announced today that Graphical Self Check, its fully integrated circulation self-service product, has allowed Arapahoe Library District in Colorado to realize a six-fold increase in patron-initiated check-outs at a fraction of the cost of their previous third-party solution. Graphical Self Check runs on low-cost PC workstations while leveraging integration with Millennium's powerful circulation package.
Colorado's Arapahoe Library District has been using the first full release Innovative's self-service solution since mid-2005. With yearly circulation district-wide at 4.5 million and steadily climbing, library staff were looking at possible solutions to the increasing burden on circulation staff and inconvenience for patrons. After weighing their options, Graphical Self Check offered the desired streamlining and has been the means by which library staff have transformed circulation to a primarily self-service model across the District.
"We found that Graphical Self Check has been a better alternative than our old third-party machines or other solutions," says David Britt, Systems Administrator at Arapahoe. "The new PC workstations can be operated with a touch screen and card reader. It's so easy to use that patrons jumped right in! Since we started using Graphical Self Check, self-service transactions have jumped from about 15% to about 90%. The cost effectiveness of the Innovative solution allowed more stations at our larger branches and more effective placement of stations in small libraries with limited space." With self-service taking off, circulation staff are now focusing on filling the hundreds of thousands of holds placed by District patrons each year, which has dramatically improved turnaround time.
Implementing Graphical Self Check has also allowed the District to add self-service circulation for users of the INN-Reach-driven Prospector direct consortial borrowing system. Prospector makes over four million unique items available to the community within days. Before the installation of Graphical Self Check, Arapahoe could not provide self-service circulation for pick-up of both branch-available and INN-Reach items.
Fines Payment To Expand Self-Service Offerings
To make Graphical Self Check even more convenient, Innovative will add a credit card fine-payment option and the ability to access My Millennium personalization features to Graphical Self Check beginning with the mid-year Millennium Release 2006. This includes seamless Ecommerce functionality that handles credit-card authentication, transmission of payment information to an Internet merchant provider, and updating of the patron's record. Innovative's Ecommerce can be used completely within the environment of Graphical Self Check to make the credit card payment just like the experience provided at websites or in stores. Library staff can trust the confidentiality of the service because credit card information is not stored on the library server and patron information is protected by reliable Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology.
Arapahoe staff is looking forward to incorporating Innovative's Ecommerce into Graphical Self Check in the coming months. "Because we'll be able to integrate Ecommerce with Graphical Self Check, patrons will be able to use their credit card at the self-check stations and have their patron records cleared immediately."
With Innovative as a partner, Arapahoe is becoming a model for self-service implementation for libraries in the region. "We've been hosting several libraries at our branches and taking phone calls from over the country," says Britt. "We're always happy to share our experience. We think it's a great product."
About Arapahoe Library District
Arapahoe Library District serves more than 200,000 residents living in Arapahoe County. Arapahoe County and other major suburban counties make up the greater metropolitan area surrounding Denver, Colorado. The District operates eight branch libraries, an Outreach Service with mobile library services, and a library at the County Detention Center, funded by the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department.
About Innovative Interfaces
For over 25 years, Innovative Interfaces has dedicated its energies to meeting the needs of libraries and the challenges of library automation. Core to this mission are trusted products including the Millennium integrated library technology platform, INN-Reach next-generation resource sharing, the Symposia digital repository, and Electronic Resource Management. Today, thousands of libraries of all types in over 40 countries rely on Innovative's products, services, and support. The company is located in Emeryville, California with offices around the world.
