The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
Does anyone use credit/debit card machines in their library so patrons can pay for fines, booksale items, etc? We're thinking about getting a machine to start offering the service. Any suggestions on how to get started?
Brian
Some ILSes have modules that interface with card-readers to pay for fines and such. I'm pretty sure that's how it works in my library. Perhaps check with your ILS vendor to see what is available. (I don't work in that department, I'm sorry I can't be more helpful there).
Since you mentioned "booksale items, etc." one thing you may look into is some of the newfangled payment systems like Square. Square allows you to run credit/debit cards through touch devices, similarly to how you check out at the Apple Store. This more portable system may work better for things like booksales and payments that would not be directly tied to a patron account.
It all depends on your ILS, I think. Where I work we use SirsiDynix's Symphony, and accept in-person card payments in it using a device from Moneris, a Canadian company that handles credit and debit card transactions. There's no way to do online payments, because Symphony does't allow it (or, perhaps, we haven't bought that module).
Our staff don't have the capability to accept credit card payments but our 3M self-checks do as well as SmartPay, an online service that is linked from our web page. Both communicate via SIP with Horizon, our ILS, to automatically update the patron's account. So far, both services have been working very well for us.