Burnham-On-Sea Library users will soon be able to help themselves as self-service kiosks are introduced.
Burnham will be among several libraries in the county to benefit from the technology as part of a scheme to help modernise the service.
The touch-screen kiosks allow customers to borrow, renew and return books and other items, as well as to check reservations and pay charges.
Already in place in other parts of the UK, the kiosks will be convenient, quick and easy to use and will reduce queues at peak times.
Self-service will also free up library staff to help with customer enquiries and to focus on those people who most need staff help.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the library service and library users,” said Councillor Christine Lawrence, Cabinet Member for Community Services. “Staff will, of course, be there to help people get to grips with the kiosks as they have in many libraries across the country. Once in place self-service will allow staff to focus on helping visitors get the most out of their library.”
The Council aims to bring self-service to some of Somerset’s busiest libraries including Taunton, Yeovil, Frome, Wells, Bridgwater and Burnham. It is hoped that self-service will be installed in all six by the end of the current financial year.
Investment in self-service technology (also known as Radio Frequency Identification or RFID) will come from capital funding which cannot be spent on the running costs of the library service.
