3M Library Systems demonstrated a prototype of its SelfCheck-in System at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The unit is a companion to the SelfCheck System, a self-service ATM-like system that allows patrons to check out books on their own; the SelfCheck-In System allows patrons to check-in (discharge) books on their own. To accomplish this, the patron places the item in the SelfCheck-In unit where the system's internal scanner reads the barcode And resensitizes the security strip. The discharge transaction is transmitted to an interfaced automated library system. The system can also be equipped with a receipt printer. A general release date and prices have not yet been announced.
In a related demonstration, 3M introduced a Tattle-Tape DCD-2 Security Overlay for protecting CD-ROMs against unauthorized removal from a library. Libraries have found that a single strip affixed to a CD-ROM often would cause the disk to wobble when spinning at quad speeds. The new 3M product consists of two security strips integrated into a clear film overlay, thus balancing the weight so that there is no wobble.
[Contact: 3M Library Systems, 3M Center, 225-4N-14, P.O. Box 33224, St. Paul, MN 55133-3225; (612) 736-3707.]
