Digital Signage and Interactive System Networks – Tools for Helping Your Library Evolve

We’ve already established in an earlier blog that deploying digital signage in your library offers a convenient and effective means for communicating current news and events to your visitors in a dynamic and relevant manner. It’s not only far more engaging, it saves you time and money from printing flyers and posters; but all your systems can be updated instantly in the cloud from a computer located anywhere. Adding touch capability to your screen provides interactive access to wayfinding maps, encourages event registration, and serves up your catalog database and other online resources. This wide range of capabilities might make for an easy justification to deploy digital signage, yet we are just crossing the boundary line into a landscape where libraries are becoming leaders in creating novel applications for digital displays.

library digital signagelibrary digital signage

The Adoption of Technology is Accelerating

Technology use is growing quickly in libraries as they strive to match the pace of digital media adoption – consider the prevalence of smart phones, social media, internet, billboards, outdoor signage, menu boards, retail messaging, etc. Libraries are being forced to evolve, and technology providers have an opportunity to help them continue meeting the changing needs of their communities. There are many companies supplying library technology that incorporate a digital display, but most of those products perform single functions like self-checkout, eMedia vending or card catalog access. There are very few digital signage vendors directly supporting the library market, and they typically offer just a bland range of networked displays. Even fewer digital sign providers even offer simple library wayfinder kiosks. Companies that want to really excel in the market will be developing products with novel mixes of new capabilities that drive engagement from all library patrons, including the GI and Silent generations, the baby boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials and iGens.

Computers are automating many typical processes in libraries such as cataloging (databases), check out (kiosks), book return (sorting systems) and even sometimes book storage (robotic systems). Book collections are moving to digital with patrons downloading e-versions, and print-on-demand systems are starting to fulfill the desire for printed media. An impressive project heralding the digital trend is the Digital Public Library of America (https://dp.la/), where you can now search through over 15.8 million resource items.

interactive library digital signage

Maintaining Relevance in Your Community

Libraries are under considerable pressure to maintain their relevance as important facilities to their communities. One trending response is that they are becoming Makerspaces – centers for introducing 3D printing, robotics, computer programming, etc. They are also becoming
hosts of technology incubators and dedicated art and music projects. As many towns create plans for updating community resources, they are combining community centers, town halls and libraries into one facility. The opportunity for employing digital signage, to serve the various current and future needs of visitors to these facilities efficiently and effectively, is very clear.

Here’s a scenario. You arrive at the facility to drop off some movies borrowed last week, and to also renew your license at the traveling DMV set up in one of the community rooms. As you pull in you see on the outdoor LED sign that there’s an interesting sounding cooking demonstration being promoted. Walking in the front door you are greeted by the interactive lobby sign that confirms the cooking demo, but tells you it’s next week and requires registration. The virtual keyboard makes registering easy, and a confirmation pops up on your phone. Next, when you drop off your dvds in the depository slot you can hear the conveyor belt whisk them away, and then you head towards the community rooms where the small room board sign next to the door of Room B informs you that the DMV is inside. You enter and sign up in the DMV queue, and watch on the display board that you are fifth in line. With your license renewal receipt in hand, you go back through the lobby to the library, and the beacon technology system displays a notice on the library kiosk dead ahead that it has news for you. You take out your wallet and the RFID reader confirms the presence of your library card and pulls up your account – and the system notes that the movies you just returned were late. Out comes your credit card, you insert it into the chip reader, and the fine is paid. While at the kiosk, you look up a book that might have a recipe for welsh rarebit (properly referred to as rabbit), because all you can imagine is cooking a bunny in the class next week, and you request an eBook version be emailed to you where you later find that only cheese and bread are involved. Phew!

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Current Library Trends

The American Library Association’s Center for the Future of Libraries is charged to “help librarians and communities better plan and innovate for the future”, and to “assist in the identification of strategies to influence and engage decision-makers in the development and enhancement of libraries’ future roles in society”. Communities, towns, and cities across the U.S. can use the resource to understand the impact of, and/or strategize their support or use of the following topics and technologies: digital achievement badges, connected learning, data everywhere, digital natives, drones, nearfield communications, fandom, fast casual, gamification, haptics, internet of things, disaster resilience, robotics, the sharing economy, and the detoxification from all the above being offered by unplugged programming and services (nap nooks). For more information go check out www.ala.org/transforminglibraries/future. These and other challenges to the historic library experience are opportunities for both library staff, and providers of library technology, to creatively find new strategies to drive involvement from the community at these facilities, and networked digital displays and interactive systems can be powerful tools to apply to this task.

interactive library digital signage

Tools for Current and Future Needs

Empire Digital Signs is also monitoring these trends, and employing or developing the following capabilities for assisting libraries in meeting the expanding needs of their communities:

One of the key trends we are addressing is mobile integration. With our advanced mobile integration capabilities, we can help you enhance wayfinding, provide easy access to content and events, and create a seamless digital experience for your patrons.

  • Distributed hardware network solutions (large format kiosks, end cap systems, room boards, digital signs, smart boards, interactive video walls, etc.)
  • Digital content vending – books, music, periodicals
  • Scanner and card reader capabilities – for self-checkout and fine payment
  • Library card creation
  • Beacon and RFID applications for patron services, outreach and administration
  • Tying in social media to support Connected Learning opportunities
  • Embedding Gamification aspects in user interface for driving event participation from both adults and youth

As a library, how are you evolving to stay relevant in the future? As a library vendor, what are you developing to best assist your clients in reaching their goals?

-M. McNulty

4/3/17