Library launches ID verification system

The Braswell Library in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, desired a way to improve and streamline its customer service. To help meet customer demand for new technology, the library recently unveiled a new identity verification platform that will allow users to check out books and use library resources, among other services, with a quick swipe of an RFID-enabled card. According to the Rocky Mount Telegram, the project is the end result of a $100,000 grant provided to the library last summer. Library officials believe the technology will expedite many library practices that often clog customer service requests. In addition to an easier checkout process, the new RFID cards will allow members to conduct more self-help procedures, while freeing library staff to resolve more internal requests rather than spend time collecting and stacking books. The technology has spread cross-country. The Sacramento Public Library recently introduced a virtual card with a unique identity tag that allows users to check out books and access library services with their smartphones, the Library Journal reports.