Library now even more user friendly

Masterton District Library staff have tagged about half of their 60,000 books, DVDs and other items as they prepare to make the library more user friendly.

The books are being RFID (radio frequency identification) tagged which will speed up the issuing and returning of books through a radio frequency aerial "pad".

The system, which allows users to issue their own books, is being introduced at the same time and it will free up staff to assist with user enquiries.

Customer services librarian Chris Hawker said they are about halfway through the collection of about 60,000 books and were pleased with their progress.

"It's about making more time for us to be more available to assist people with what they require," she said.

"It's something that we feel that we need to do to be ready for the next wave of changes."

Mrs Hawker said staff have been tagging the books since late November. They're also having a clean out of the collection. This will ensure the collection meets the current and future needs of Masterton users.

"The books that are disappearing off the shelves are books that people aren't using and haven't used in a long time," she said.

There have also been changes with the library's digital services.

Team librarian digital services Jeremy Langley, said the libraries digital services became increasingly popular during the holiday season, as many people brought in new devices and asked about e-books.

He said the new online BookPsychic service programme, which recommends items from the collection that are tailored to a borrower's reading tastes, has increased in popularity. The online services have enabled users to access the library whenever and wherever they want.

"For those people whose time is now limited they can stay home and find exactly what they want. The only time they need to come to the library is when they need to collect their item," she said.

The library has also had a temporary later opening time of 10am, to allow staff the time to tag the books.