The technician finished installing a self checkout station at Ottenheimer Library today just minutes before I arrived. I was excited about trying it the same way I get excited about checking my own groceries at Kroger. The power.

I looked around trying to find anyone with books in hand, ready to give the machine a try. Lots of folks studying, but no one quite ready to check out. So I talked Carol at the Reference Desk into demonstrating how it worked.

We got a few pointers from the technician to make sure we were doing it right. It’s fairly intuitive, much the same way the ones at grocery stores work. You can scan the barcode on your card, or manually type the number in. Here are a few more tips to keep in mind:

• If your campus ID card is older, go ahead and get a new one. My 1999 vintage card won’t cut it on the new machine.
• Self checkout is mainly for standard size books. If you’re checking out other media or large format books, you’ll need to check out the old school way.