New Deal? Discounts Tied to Items Checked Out
Jennifer Pinkowski -- Library Journal, 12/20/2007
- Youniquely4U program offers discounts at local businesses
- Service created by Checkpoint Systems
- Patrons must enroll to participate
- Does not infringe on patron privacy
Central Florida's Leesburg Public Library is one of about 100 libraries in a dozen states that are now offering Youniquely 4 U, a program that gives library users coupons, rewards, and discounts at area businesses based on the items they check out. Though the program has caused some local controversy over concerns it might compromise privacy, unlike the personalized suggestions that online shoppers often get, Youniquely 4 U's opt-in deals are tied to the item, not the person who checked it out. It's another example of the way libraries must balance privacy with the increasing desire for personalized service.
Launched last summer by Checkpoint Systems, Inc., a security services company familiar to many libraries, Youniquely 4 U organizes a library's collection into a dozen or so categories such as health and wellness, business, and family. Users enroll at the library's web site. When they check out an item, they receive a receipt directing them to the Youniquely site, where they use a code to access coupons or suggestions for local businesses. Borrowing out a gardening book, for instance, might yield a coupon for a discount at local nursery.
LPL director Barbara Morse, whose library calls Youniquely 4 U a "VIP Patron Program," said it was an appealing tool to promote the library's electronic resources and events, as well as to connect with the business community. "We participate in many chamber of commerce and downtown events to promote the library to the business community."
Checkpoint manages the technical and marketing details of Youniquely 4 U and even throws a launch party for the program if the library is interested, said Michael Jermyn, senior vice president and general manager of Checkpoint Patron Services. "The library can be your gateway to those companies you wouldn't otherwise know about," he said.
Coverage in the Orlando Sentinel of Leesburg's December 1 launch event, which drew 1500 people, had both local and national readers concerned that Youniquely 4 U monitors patrons' reading habits. But that's not the case, said Morse, who herself posted comments in response. "Just as with all public libraries, no electronic record is kept," she said. "Once a patron returns an item, that record disappears."
The cost of Youniquely 4 U is based on the number of active card holders at a library, said Jermyn. As for advertising revenue, that does not go to the library, a situation that is okay with Morse for the time being. "I see it as a win-win situation," she said. "The local businesses get some free advertising that is welcome by the library patron because it is connected to their interests identified by what they borrowed on a certain day."
