It's the little things that count....

MHS has had quite a start to the year! Over 1300 Chromebooks in the hands of students and lots of changes (all for the best)! I compared handing out that many Chromebooks to students as a wedding day (we planned for almost a year)....then we had a short honeymoon, and now we are all learning to live together! Like any marriage, it's the small things that count. Here's our "small thing".

When students arrive in the library, we have computers set up to scan their ID cards (their ID cards have a barcode of their ID number). It's the same process when a student leaves the library and we have stations at each library entrance. The ID number scanned is stamped with a date and time automatically through Google Forms. It's far quicker than writing names in a book, easier to read than handwriting, and super fast! It's just a Google Form that fills a spreadsheet shared with the Attendance Office, Study Halls, Administrators, and Library Staff.

Why? Three reasons:

1. In case of an emergency. Library staff can access the spreadsheet from our phones. If we have to evacuate, we can quickly see who should be with us.
2. Verify attendance. Might save a student from an unexcused absence.
3. Data. I can quickly see what times of the day see our heaviest use.

Originally, we found that we had a few problems with this setup. My goal was to make it quick and hands free. I dedicated old computers and connected a table mounted scanner to them. Then created a Google Form with just one box to scan their ID card. 

Here are the steps students were having to go through:

1. Click on the box where their ID would be scanned
2. Scan their ID card (the scanner automatically added "Enter" which submitted the form)
3. Click on the "Submit another response" to ready the screen for the next student. 

I've learned over the years that this data has been skewed. It was taking too long! Students would pretend to scan (there's a beep from the scanner every time a card is scanned, but that doesn't mean data was recorded in Forms). We added a second monitor, but trying to watch the scan screen and man the circulation desk was overwhelming. We needed something QUICK and PAINLESS in order to get meaningful data!

With the help of Google Forums, some super nice person I would love one day to meet, wrote a script for us so that the cursor automatically set in the box where their ID would be scanned. See his work at https://goo.gl/NFvoNF. That took care of Step 1. For Step 3, our Tech Help Desk senior, Jack Kester, wrote a script that would prompt the computer to automatically click the "Submit another response"! We offer a HUGE shout out to Jack for his help!

So now our system is completely HANDS FREE! Students need only walk up and scan their ID card and be on their way! MHS Library: Saving clicks one person at a time!