Soon you'll be able to check it out when you visit Prince George Public Library.
In a first for libraries in Canada, the city branch is set to debut three allCIRC self-check machines in the first week of March.
The trio of automated kioks not only store and dispense 400 discs - be they DVDs, CDs or other disc media - but will also allow patrons to check out books.
"We worked quite hard for a solution that worked for us," said Marc Saunders, the library's public-service manager.
Currently the library's disc media is stored behind the circulation desk - due to the risk of theft - making it staff-intensive, said Saunders, as well as putting considerable wear and tear on the discs themselves.
Patrons will be able to check out the library's most popular DVDs, CDs and books with a few simple steps and a scan of their card. Saunders said, in the future, the library may also carry games.
The library weighed solutions from the classic vending machine style (imagine a bank of CDs about the size of two to three Coke machines set side-by-side) to the fantastical (A ROBOTIC ARM!) before settling on allCIRC as the most cost-effective and practical.
Saunders said the intention of the automated system is not to cut jobs, but to free up staff and allow them to better interact with the public.
