Case story | Lyngsoe Library Systems

West Palm Beach Public Library

meets the challenge with RFID and automation
West Palm Beach Public Library was challenged with covering more than twice as much square footage with basically the same number of staff.

Photos courtesy of Song & Associates Inc.

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West Palm Public Library case story

received very favorable ratings from customers who had this equipment. Murray acknowledged there are always going to be issues with technology and machinery, so he was especially impressed with what he heard regarding Lyngsoes commitment to resolving problems quickly. Murray presented the librarys case to the City Administrator, citing figures showing that automating with RFID and a returns sorting system would save 75 percent of the staff time associated with checkin and checkout. The capital expenditure was approved and the entire collection of approximately 133,000 items was tagged before the move to the new building. SIGNIFICANT TIME SAVINGS ON DVDS, CDS AND RESERVES Movies and music represent about 40 percent of West Palm Beachs circulation, with about 1,000 DVDs and CDs checked out every day. Prior to implementing RFID and
Photo courtesy of Song & Associates Inc.

the Lyngsoe automated returns system the manual labor associated with circulating these materials was tremendous. Staff had to open and close each item during checkout and checkin to verify that the right item was in the case and to manually de-sensitize and re-sensitize the security strip. With the Lyngsoe system, tags on the discs and tags on the box are compared during checkin to The West Palm Beach Public Library in Florida serves a diverse population of over 100,000 city residents and has about 91,309 registered borrowers, many of them from outside the city limits. In April 2009, the library moved from a 34,000 to an 85,000 square foot building. In the old building, the staff was circulating about 600,000 items a year. They knew moving to the new, expanded building would mean a dramatic increase in usage. THE CHALLENGE: COVERING MORE FLOOR SPACE WITHOUT MORE STAFF The new library building would have four floors instead of two, resulting in more service points to staff. According to Library Director Chris Murray, the challenge was how to cover more than twice as much square footage with basically the same number of staff. The staff identified RFID technology and particularly automated materials handling as a key way to deal with the anticipated increase in circulation. While at the 2008 PLA Conference they evaluated systems and were attracted to Lyngsoe Library Systems (then FKI Logistex) because of its robust capabilities. In follow-up research they were impressed with FKIs solid experience in materials handling and the company verify that the right disc is in the right box and the security is automatically re-sensitized when items are returned. If the system reads that the wrong item is in the case, the Lyngsoe system sends the item back out to the customer to insert the correct disc in the case. The Lyngsoe system has made an incredible difference in the staff time needed to process AV materials. About 90 percent of the CDs and DVDs no longer have to be examined at checkin and none have to be examined at checkout. The Lyngsoe system has also created efficiencies in handling holds (reserved

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that the item is available for pickup. The system prints out a slip that has a code for open reserves pickup. Patrons come in, pick up their reserved item on the open shelves, and can proceed to the self-check machines all without the need for staff intervention. The Lyngsoe system has allowed us to improve our patron service in an expanded building without the significant costs associated with adding staff. Theres no way we could manage 50 percent more circulation in a building 2.5 times larger than our old building without this technology.

West Palm Beachs implementation of Lyngsoes RFID and returns sorting system saves 75 percent of the staff time associated with checkin and checkout.

items). In the old days, you had to empty the book drop and check in all the materials one by one before youd process the holds. The delay could add an extra day to when the patron would actually get the item.

With the Lyngsoe system, as soon as an item comes through the wall the system knows its a hold and it goes directly to the holds bin. The librarys integrated library system notifies the patron by email or voice mail

MURRAY CITES KEY BENEFITS OF LYNGSOE SYSTEM 1. Excellent return on investment of public money. Murray estimates the payback time for the system in terms of the staff they didnt have to hire is about 4.5 years. Theres no doubt that were saving money for our city with this system. We havent had to add any staff to the Circulation Department, despite the 50 percent increase in circulation. 2. Technology frees up staff time. Murray sees especially the incredible laborsaving on AV materials where automation eliminates much of the manual work of checkin and checkout. You cant eliminate shelving the books you need people for that. But the labor-intensive part of checkin and checkout opening media cases, re-sensitizing security strips, separating out holds thats what the Lyngsoe system replaces. 4. 3. Improved patron service without adding staff. In just a year the library has realized over 95 percent of checkouts with self-check and close to 100 percent of checkins using the Lyngsoe self-return. Murray says the instant checkin with the Lyngsoe system is a real selling point with patrons. We limit the number of DVDs a patron can have out at a time. In the old days even though items were returned in the book drop, they were still technically checked out. With the Lyngsoe system, items are instantly checked in so patrons have their full limit available to them when they go to check out. Quality and reliability. Murray says once you have the system its the librarys lifes blood. Its got to work. This means making sure you have a machine that is industrial quality and
Chris Muray, Library Director

reliable something that is designed to run every day. 5. Support staff committed to the librarys success. West Palm Beach had a very tight timeframe for getting all the pieces in place for their librarys grand opening. Lyngsoe worked closely with us to get the installers on site and the trainers there at the right time, and they were here for the grand opening. They stayed with us through the whole process.

With more than 2,700 installations worldwide, the Lyngsoe team can demonstrate extensive experience in system design, software manufacturing, installation, service and maintenance, project management and consultancy services. Based on our extensive worldwide experience, our team of experts offer quality measurements and analysis of material handling processes, and provides recommendations for significant improvements in operations and performance.

QUALITY SYSTEM DS/EN ISO 9001

Lyngsoe Systems quality assurance system is certified according to DS/EN ISO 9001-2000. All hardware and software are manufactured, documented and delivered in accordance with ISO quality standards.

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