Disk vending machines -Reply

[Dan Lester]

Sometimes it seems like people do things the hard
or expensive way.  When we decided to start
selling preformatted floppies we checked on disk
vending machines.  At that time there were none in
existence, as far as we could tell (about four years
ago).  We talked to the vendor who sells candy and
such on campus.  He would sell us a "candy
machine" in good condition for 800 dollars US. 
This is the type with some spiral dispensers, and
some "trap doors" that drop things into a bin.  It
would have worked fine for disks and pencils and
other little supplies.  The only drawback was that a
cheap machine like this would not take dollar bills. 
So, since we would have had to have people break
dollar bills at a change machine and then put
change in, and of course have us count the change
later, we decided not to proceed.  

Now we sell preformatted floppies at the circulation
counter for a dollar each.  People are happy with
the price.  We pay less than a dollar each in
quantity, so we don't lose any money in doing this. 
Since circulation is the only department in the
library that "gets to handle money" it works out well
for everybody.  The load in circulation is absolutely
minimal in the big picture.

dan


Dan Lester, Network Information Coordinator
Boise State University Library, Boise, Idaho, 83725
USA
voice: 208-385-1235   fax:  208-385-1394
dlester at bsu.idbsu.edu     OR   
alileste at idbsu.idbsu.edu
Cyclops' Internet Toolbox:    http://cyclops.idbsu.edu
"How can one fool make another wise?"   Kansas,
1979.