As part of their ongoing programme rollout and implementation of RFID for Newcastle City Libraries, D-Tech has now installed the VendorTech RFID enabled vending machine at the new £40.2m City Library. The machine will hold and vend (lend) a selection of popular fiction titles as well as CDs and DVDs.

D-Tech installed a 400 item option unit on the new City Library site (other sizes and capacity are also available) which will hold 20 top titles x 10 each = 200 books (boxes); 10 CD top titles x 10 each = 100 CDs (boxes); 10 DVD top titles x 10 each = 100 DVDs (boxes). Library staff will ‘stock’ the machine through a rear loading slot while the system automatically assigns its location.

VendorTech can also be used to handle and store reservations (which customers can place through a web interface or inside the library) and customers can then pick up their reserved item from the machine, using their library card integrated into the LMS system (in this instance: DS Open Galax ). To make collection even easier, when customers reserve an item, they can specify where they would like to pick it up and they are then notified by email when the item is ready for collection. Reserved items are loaded by library staff and held in available slots until collection.

The user friendly selection screen uses a keyboard browser, with predictive section, for searching and highlighting items that are ready-to-lend in the machine. Once the customer has selected an item they can then see a text or image preview before they make their final decision.

Tim Pond, Business Development Manager, D-Tech adds: "VendorTech by D-Tech, takes library self service one step further. The self service machine (the first in the country) is an extension of that library service, effectively taking the inside outside and enabling library services to ‘outreach’ to places and spaces they may not have a stronghold. It also means additional flexibility for 'users' because they can pick up a book/DVD in one place and return it in another. It’s just another example of D-Tech being one step ahead in bringing new ideas and technology to library services."

The VendorTech package is effectively a self service 'media store' for books and multimedia. This machine is the first in the country and shows how enlightened Newcastle Library Services are in using every opportunity to make books and multi media accessible to the public"

As well as implementing RFID at the new £40.2m City Library, D-Tech has also implemented RFID for Newcastle City Council at, High Heaton Library; Fawdon Library; Gosforth Library and Benwell Library.

D-Tech is the sole UK distributor of VendorTech which is manufactured in Germany.

If you would like to know more about VendorTech by D-Tech please contact Tim Pond on 01394 420077.