Borrow without waiting: the new technology in the Tölz city library
Created: 08/14/2022, 12:45 p.m
By: Fridolin Thanner
Library manager Melanie Sappl (r.) and deputy Irina Schwindt are happy about the new terminals, where users can book and borrow their media easily and quickly.
© Fridolin Thanner
Bad Tölz – Anyone who borrows books from the Tölz City Library now benefits from new technology.
It is no longer necessary to scan each book individually.
Users in the Tölz city library now have two terminals at their disposal, where they can simply place, read in and book their media themselves and in a stack.
This should no longer lead to longer waiting times.
And the library team has more time for other tasks.
The Tölz City Library is investing 42,000 euros in digital user terminals
"We are now well prepared for the future," says library manager Melanie Sappl, pleased about the new technology.
The conversion was made possible by a federal funding program.
The library applied for around 42,000 euros and was granted almost the entire sum.
The city library only has to bear 10 percent of the costs itself.
Two user terminals were purchased with the money and all media were equipped accordingly.
“A lot of work”, as Sappl knows.
It took her and her team about six months to stick a so-called RFID tag on the inventory of around 40,000 media.
These labels replace the previous barcodes, and the terminals recognize the media using electromagnetic waves.
There, the users only need to scan their ID card and place the books on the shelf - all at once.
The system records the individual media and posts them, which can be followed step by step on the screen.
Despite digital lending of books, there is still the classic lending counter in Bad Tölz
The new service is even available in several languages.
But if you still like to have your books scanned at the lending counter, you still have the option to do so.
"You can, but you don't have to," says Sappl about the new technology.
Nevertheless, she is convinced that people like to use it - and that her employees have more time for special advice, for example.
"We'll get more capacity for higher-quality tasks," Sappl is convinced.
She is also thinking of guided tours for school classes.
Return box at the Tölz City Library relieves opening times
Books can also be returned via the new terminals – and via another innovation.
With the help of the funding, the city library has also purchased a return box, which primarily benefits readers who cannot make it to the library during opening hours.
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It is now possible day and night to drop books and the like into this return box in front of the library.
The employees then book the media back in the next day.
A spring system inside provides cushioning so that nothing breaks when thrown into the return box.
It, too, is a nice new service.
Enjoy reading and winning
The Bad Tölz City Library invites girls and boys to take part in the summer holiday reading club again this year.
The nationwide campaign is a project to promote reading and is aimed at children between the ages of six and 15.
They not only have the opportunity to discover exciting new reading material, they can also look forward to prizes.
"Anyone who reads three books can win," explains Melanie Sappl, head of the city library.
She knows: "The club principle is well received by the children".
They receive a club booklet and can collect stamps for the books they have read and give their own ratings.
"Every book counts," explains Sappl, "the main thing is that you enjoy reading it."
The campaign runs until September 17th, in the same month there will be a final event with a big raffle.
Users of the city library who have not previously registered may also participate,
