Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Photo Kiosk topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jefferson Public Library keeps local photo printing after donated Kodak kiosk replaces closing businesses
Summary
Jefferson Public Library accepted a donated Kodak photo-printing kiosk to preserve local access to same-day photo printing. Friends of the Library paid to acquire and later refurbish the machine; it generates $3,000–$4,000 a year in sales while supplies and upkeep are covered by the friends group.
Jefferson Public Library began operating a Kodak photo-printing kiosk after two downtown businesses closed and the community risked losing local photo-printing services. Jane, a librarian at Jefferson Public Library, said the unit was offered by a closing store and the Friends of the Library agreed to buy and install it to keep the service in town.
The kiosk matters to residents who would otherwise drive 25 miles to the nearest big-box retailer. "If we didn't take it to the library, we would no longer have that service in our community," Jane said. The machine also serves as an ongoing fundraiser: the friends group pays for supplies and retains the proceeds.
Jane said the library acquired the used machine in 2018; it was about three years old when purchased. The kiosk is a full-scale Kodak unit with two printers, a monitor, a hard drive and a scanner. The library reported annual sales of about $3,000 to $4,000. Friends of the Library cover supply costs (Jane estimated roughly $800 per supplies order) and net roughly $1,000 to $2,000 a year, while choosing to keep the service because it is the only kiosk in the county.
Library staff described common uses: printing for county-fair projects, last-minute prints for funerals and visitations, genealogy work to preserve family photos, holiday gifts, graduation prints and small personalized items like bookmarks. The kiosk accepts outputs from phones, camera cards and USB; staff keep a multi-headed charging cable available for patrons who forget cords.
There are costs and operational demands. Jane said routine staff time is required for customer assistance, paper and ribbon replacement and occasionally calling tech support. After about five years the library replaced internal components; a 2023 refurbishment of the printers, monitor and computer cost about $6,000. Jane said that upkeep is similar to maintaining a computer and that libraries should plan for periodic hardware replacement.
The library markets the kiosk on its Facebook page, in a monthly newsletter, on the city's Facebook account and with signage at City Hall. "We get a lot of foot traffic that they're not necessarily there to check out a book or use a computer," Jane said, describing how the kiosk brings people into the building who then notice other library services.
Friends of the Library provide the funding for supplies and have covered the purchase and later refurbishment of the unit. Jane said the group values local access to photo services even if revenue margins are modest.
The kiosk remains in regular community use and the library encourages other small libraries considering similar services to account for initial purchase, supply costs, staff time and space needs.
