Cathy McDonough

Biography - Cathy has worked in public libraries for over 25 years. For the last 20 years she has worked for Sutton Library Services, one of the most innovative library services in the UK. For the past 5 years her main interest has been in the technological developments in libraries and how they can help enhance the service to the public. She has been responsible for implementing public access to the internet, automated telephone services, an enhanced online library catalogue and more recently RFID, which has enabled Sutton Library to become the first library in the UK to offer 100% self service for borrowing books. Her latest initiative is establishing WiFi hotspots in the libraries.

Abstract

Sutton Library Service is using RFID technologies in the Central Library, The Library @ Phoenix (a small library in a newly opened Leisure complex) and in a project aimed at widening access to library services. The benefits have been enormous. The technologies have allowed us to:

• Re-engineer our services to attract more users
• Release staff time to be more proactive in helping readers
• To display books more radically while still being able to trace them via the library catalogue
• To put collections of books in community centres and to record their use
• To increase opening hours
• To set, and maintain, challenging shelving standards
• To have greater control of stock and more regular, accurate stock inventories