The idea:
Ryan Library is part of a small, private university that serves around 4,600 students across several campuses in San Diego County. The library is located on the main campus, where the bulk of the university’s graduate and undergraduate programs take place. Recent institution-wide library evaluation surveys have revealed that our Liberty Station satellite campus medical program students feel a lack of connection to the library or the primary campus as a whole. With their courses being offered off-site and about a 20-minute drive away, other than to access library resources, the students and many of the faculty members have little reason to ever be on the main campus. I propose that the university use newly granted library funding to purchase and facilitate the operation of a self-serve library kiosk vending machine to be located at the Liberty Station satellite campus. The kiosk will serve two purposes: first, to provide an easily accessible location for library resources put on hold by medical program users, and second, to store a selection of medical program-relevant print resources which are currently largely going unused at the main campus. Through the use of already issued electronic student identification cards, our satellite students and faculty could better access needed library materials from the convenience of their primary university site location where their learning occurs (Stephens, 2016).
Mission & Institutional Context:
The university’s mission is to challenge and engage students’ minds through rigorous academic programs. One could argue that to expect students’ minds to be fully engaged requires providing adequate and accessible resources. Similarly, Ryan Library’s vision statement is “To facilitate the confluence of research, learning, and creative exploration and seeks to provide the best possible guidance, instruction, resources, and research tools that equip all users to become responsible, effective, and discerning thinkers and researchers. We foster an environment of intellectual hospitality that encourages diversity of thought” (Ryan Library, 2025). In order to best reflect the vision that our services provide opportunities for students to research, learn, and creatively explore, our library must work to improve material pickup convenience and browsability to students partaking in programs located off-site at our alternate campus location.
Action Brief Statements:
Users- Convince satellite program students that by installing a self-serve library kiosk on their campus, they will have timely access to needed resources, which will increase their connection to the library because it will better meet their needs.
Administration- Convince university administration that by installing a self-serve library kiosk on the Liberty Station satellite campus, our medical program students and faculty will have increased access to applicable library materials which will further meet our vision to foster an environment of intellectual hospitality because it will better provide the best possible resources and research tools to our users.
Inspiration:
San Diego County Library: https://www.countynewscenter.com/library-goes-247-new-kiosk/
Book Riot article on Libraries of the Future: https://bookriot.com/automated-library-vending-machines/
American Libraries article on All-Hours Access: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/06/03/all-hours-access/
School Library Example: https://www.edutopia.org/article/benefits-bringing-book-vending-machine-your-school/
UCSD Library Borrow Bot: https://www.instagram.com/p/DA6bDVwvWgo/?hl=en
INTECH Vending Machine Showcase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXePvo8BAhM
Guidelines and Policies:
General guidelines and policies regarding checkout limits and durations should follow the established library circulation procedures. This also includes following the current practice for late or lost items. To access materials from the library kiosk, students and faculty will use their university-issued identification card just as they would to check out materials at the library’s main location. The library’s catalog, accessible through the library website, would offer students the option to place material holds to be delivered at the kiosk within 24 hours of request. Depending on the vendor, perhaps an app could be utilized to help facilitate holds and notifications of delivery. If an app is not available, another option would be notification through campus email.
Another policy consideration is making sure the library maintains legal compliance by researching and obtaining necessary permits and licenses for operating vending machines, which can vary by state. It is also important to make sure that fair use principles for copyrighted materials are posted. The kiosk should also have clear instructions that provide users step-by-step directions on how to use the machine and who to contact if there are any issues.
Timeline for Implementation:
Once the kiosk program was approved and the vendor had been selected, the timeline for implementation would largely depend on the kiosk vendor’s ability to provide the desired vending machine model and design. Once delivered, several important steps would need to take place. First, library technical services would need to adjust the catalog interface for hold location selection and correct cataloging of materials being brought to the new location. Next, the library staff and student workers would need to be trained on how to use and maintain the vending machine. From the time of arrival to the launch of the program, one month should be a reasonable timeframe to prepare. It is vital that we get the program up and running so that we can see what happens (Mathews, 2012). Many steps, such as guideline and policy writing along with faculty notification, could begin at the time of the kiosk purchase and long before the machine was delivered, allowing for post-delivery efforts to focus on training and material logistics.
Marketing & Promotion:
To market and promote the new service, the library will advertise on the library’s website and make sure to emphasize the option at the points of access, such as the library catalog. Due to the small size of the school and the close rapport between students and professors, getting them on board and requesting help of the program promotion by faculty will be key to the success of this library service (Casey & Savastinuk, 2007). Another area of promotion could be posting on social media outlets already used by the university. Additionally, the placement of the kiosk in a high-traffic location at the satellite campus would be beneficial to its success, along with providing adequate directional signage to guide students to the service.
Staff Training and Readiness:
Initial training on how to use the book kiosk would likely be provided by the machine’s vendor. Accommodations to allow all library staff and librarians to attend the training should be made, whether that means conducting multiple training sessions or blocking off library in-service time. It will also be important for the supervisors of student workers to provide training on filling the machine, new procedures for pulling holds, and instructions on promoting the new service to users at the circulation counter and through phone inquiries. Library administration or the kiosk’s program director should make it a priority to create a user manual and a troubleshooting guide that can be used by incoming staff who might be hired after the initial training or to build confidence in those who are still unsure of the machine’s operation.
Evaluation and Future Expansion:
The program’s success will be evaluated in several ways, first through overall usage statistics and second through an avenue for user feedback (Lauersen, 2021). Perhaps there could be an option for users to leave a rating and/or comment at the point of pickup or return, similar to a point-of-sale review at a commercial retail shop. I believe seeking out feedback from the satellite location’s faculty on their own experience with the service, along with the opinions they might hear from their course students. With program success, the options to provide another kiosk or expand the program to offer electronic device checkouts, such as iPads, chargers, or other multimedia devices, could evolve into a potential option.
References:
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2007). Library 2.0: A guide to participatory library service. Information Today.
Lauersen, C. (2021). A haven in our community: The impact and value of public libraries. The Library Lab. https://christianlauersen.net/2021/04/19/a-haven-in-our-community-the-impact-and-value-of-public-libraries/
Mathews, B. (2012). Think like a startup: A white paper to inspire library entrepreneurialism.
Ryan Library. (2025). Vision Statement. LibGuides. https://libguides.pointloma.edu/RyanLibrary
Stephens, M. (2016). The Heart of Librarianship: Attentive, Positive, and Purposeful Change. ALA Editions.