Transforming Library Operations and the User Experience with QR Codes
Catalog Search and Shelf Navigation
A setup in which QR codes are placed at the ends of library shelves and scanning one displays, on your smartphone, a list of the books in the classification shelved there along with their loan status is an extremely effective path to the OPAC (online public access catalog). Users do not need to walk to the search terminals in the library and can start searching directly from the shelf in front of them.
The collections of public libraries are shelved according to systems such as the Nippon Decimal Classification, and finding the book you want presupposes an understanding of that system, but a search through a QR code lets you look intuitively by keyword even without knowing the classification number. Especially for people who do not usually use the library, being able to access the collection with a familiar device, the smartphone, greatly lowers the psychological hurdle.
Making Self-Checkout / Return More Efficient
A self-checkout system in which the loan procedure is completed simply by scanning the QR code on the library card and those on the books in succession with a smartphone eases crowding at the counter and reduces the workload of staff at the same time. Compared with the conventional IC tag method, QR codes have an overwhelmingly lower introduction cost and can be adopted just by attaching stickers to the existing collection.
Setups in which a QR code reader is installed in the return box and the return is processed automatically when a book is dropped in have also been put into practical use. Overdue management is also automated, and it is possible to link it so that a push notification arrives on the user's smartphone as the due date approaches. According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the annual number of books loaned by public libraries reaches about 600 million, and making this enormous volume of loan / return processing more efficient is an issue at the core of library management.
Encouraging Participation in Events / Reading Programs
Printing QR codes on posters announcing events held by the library, such as story time sessions, author talks, and workshops, so that scanning gives direct access to a reservation form, is an effective path to higher participation. Compared with reserving by phone or applying at the counter, the convenience of being able to reserve at any time, 24 hours a day, is especially important for working-age users.
QR codes also work well with reading stamp rallies for children. A setup in which children read designated books and scan a QR code at the counter to collect digital stamps is easier to manage than a paper stamp card and also leads to turning reading histories into data. If it is linked with a summer vacation book report campaign, it can help children establish a reading habit.
Paths to Digital Archives and Local Materials
In no small number of cases, users do not even know that the library's digital archives, such as old local maps, local history materials, and photo collections held by the library, exist. If you place QR codes on the related shelves and in exhibition corners and create a path where scanning takes users to the relevant page of the digital archive, physical materials and digital materials can be connected seamlessly.
Simply by placing a QR code on the local history shelf that says "View photos of this area from the Meiji era digitally," users can access high-resolution images that paper materials cannot provide, as well as digital data that can be enlarged / searched. A library's digital archive is public property built with public funds, and raising its usage rate is also important from the standpoint of return on investment.
Examples of Adoption and How to Get Started
The greatest advantage of QR codes for libraries is that introducing them does not involve a large-scale system overhaul. Without changing the existing library system, simply using QR codes as an "entrance" that guides users to the existing Web OPAC or digital archive can greatly improve the user experience.
It is realistic to start with a single shelf or a single event poster. Generating QR codes is free, printing them only requires outputting them on label stickers, and existing pages on the library's website are sufficient as link destinations. You can then expand the scope step by step while watching how users respond.