On 3/25/2011 11:12 AM, Lori Bowen Ayre wrote:
Or what about adding items to your library account wish list or book bag?
I frequently use my phone to scan ISBNs for books that I see in bookstores, libraries or wherever if I want to read them but not to buy or borrow them right that minute. I use an Android app called barcode2file and then save the file or just e-mail the list to myself. I use the batch import feature on LibraryThing to upload the file or copy and paste from the e-mail message and add the books to my library assigning them all a specific tag so I remember why they're in there. I find scanning ISBNs much easier than writing down the titles.
As a patron or staff member, I wish I could do something like that with my library system -- scan barcodes (item barcodes or ISBNs) and have the system put them all in a bookbag or bucket to deal with later. And if I uploaded an ISBN for a book that wasn't in the system, I'd like it to go import the brief record.
I agree with Dan that smartphones aren't great barcode scanners, although they are getting better all the time, and you get used to using them. But they're definitely handy when you're out and about, whether that's in a bookstore or up in the stacks and don't have a better scanner handy.
For real library projects, I'd love something like the ScoutPal system that people use to find used books to buy for resale. You scan the barcode and get back instant results on availability and pricing. I think something like this would be a dandy weeding tool to take out into the stacks -- scan the item barcode and get a concise display on the status of other copies, the total checkouts and most recent activity, etc. I'd like a little logic in there, too, so you could tell it that if there are other copies in the system and the item is more than 8 years old and hasn't circulated in more than 3 years, it should be flagged for review. You should have options to change the status and put the item into a bucket, ready to delete those items or pass them along to someone else to review.
ScoutPal: http://www.scoutpal.com/ -- Elizabeth Thomsen, Member Services Manager NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange 26 Cherry Hill Drive Danvers MA 01923 Blog: http://www.noblenet.org/ethomsen/ E-mail: [email protected]
