Smart Move

Smart cards—cards with magnetic strips, similar to debit cards—are gaining acceptance in libraries nationwide. Houston Public Library (HPL) recently signed a deal with the Xerox Corporation to install smart card technology into all of its 35 branches. Although HPL has 466 computers available to the public, most of those computers aren't connected to printers. Xerox is investing about $1.5 million to install new servers, printing software, and photocopiers at HPL's 35 branches. The new smart-card system will let patrons purchase cards worth certain amounts for printing documents from any computer, and for making photocopies. It will also allow HPL to charge for printing from computers—at 15 cents a page—for the first time. Color photocopies will also be available for $1 a page. Because of the increase in printing fees, Xerox agreed to provide 10,000 free pages per year for "hardship" cases.

Xerox will receive the lion's share of revenue, but HPL's cut should be about $20,000 per year. HPL, the nation's fourth largest city library, estimates it will save about $100,000 on toner, paper, and related printer upkeep since Xerox will oversee maintenance of the equipment. Xerox beat out another company for the three-year contract.

"This system doesn't burden our staff with having to give out paper or take money," says Jessica Pugil, the library's manager of planning and communications, who adds that the amount of printing in the library has increased significantly in recent years thanks to the Internet. "It frees up librarians to do what they do best—helping patrons with research and tracking down books." The public should benefit, too. Only when a patron is done with his computer work will he be required to swipe his smart card at a terminal to pay for all or just certain pages of his job. That's not all. Houston may soon allow residents to use similar smart cards at parking meters, as well as to pay water bills and parking tickets.—M. M.