West Des Moines Public Library Installed Self-Service Library Kiosk In Valley Junction

Press release from the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce:

September 15, 2020

The West Des Moines Public Library has installed a 24-hour self-service kiosk at the Valley Junction Activity Center at 217 Fifth Street. The machine, manufactured by Envisionware, can be found outside the building beside the Fourth Street/rear entrance, near the awning.

“It’s well-lit and easy to spot,” says Library Director Darryl Eschete. “It has a big viewing window and glowing touch screens that make it look like a giant vending machine, which is basically what it is.”

Users must have a West Des Moines Public Library card in good standing to check out one of the 235 carefully selected books and DVDs that will be offered in the kiosk, and a limit of ten items per cardholder can be checked out. Library cards are free, but to get one, it is necessary to visit the main library at 4000 Mills Civic Parkway and fill out a form (and show proof of identification and residence).

In addition to checking out, patrons will also be able to renew and return library materials at the kiosk, whether they were borrowed from the machine or not. There will be some size limitations on items because of the dimensions of the return slot, but most library items will fit.

The kiosk, the first of its kind in Iowa, was purchased with a generous gift of over $100,000 from the West Des Moines Public Library Friends Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money to support the library’s services and programs.

"The West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation is proud to have provided financial support for the purchase of the kiosk," says Dan Werner, a past president of the organization. "The members of the Foundation Board hope that the citizens of Valley Junction and all of West Des Moines find the kiosk to be helpful in accessing library materials."

Anyone with questions or concerns about the kiosk should contact Library Director Darryl Eschete at (515) 222-3409.

This press release was produced by the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.