Barcode

Reduce me to a barcode will you? Ha!

When libraries give you a card, they just hand you the next one from the box.  They are all bar coded with your account number.  Your account number is just the one on the barcode they pull out of the box.

This library gives you two cards.  One is wallet size, and one is key fob size.

That's very handy.  I like using the key fob sized card.  The pocket I keep my keys in is much more accessible than hauling out my wallet, which already has too many cards in it, remembering which slot I put the library card in, struggling to get it out, and so forth.  The key fob is handier.

Except that the ink that they use to print out the cards and the fobs is not very durable.  My key fob card started to show signs of deterioration very shortly.  After five months the card reader started to have trouble reading it.  For a another month I was able to get it to read by going to different distances from the scanning laser.  But, within a month, it just stopped working, period.

I'd memorized my account number, of course.  (What, you haven't memorized yours?)  But this library has disabled the function for you to type in your own account number.  It was actually great when they moved, and set up the pop-up Library, because the pop-up Library didn't have any scanners and you had to tell the librarians your number anyway.  I had that down cold.

But when they moved back to the renovated library, it was back to the scanners.  And they still hadn't enabled the function for you to type in your own account number.

But, am I not a security maven?  There are ways around this.  One is to search for a barcode generator, go to that website, type in your library account number, get it to generate a barcode, save the barcode, mess around with editing the image for a bit in order to make it the right size, print it out, and tape it to the key fob.

So, of course, that's what I did.  And I tested it out this afternoon.  And it works just fine.

And I've saved the image, just in case this one wears out, or gets damaged.