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From: erickson@crevas.enet.dec.com (John Erickson)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Library anti-theft walk-thru device...????
Message-ID: <1991May13.124937.4956@e2big.mko.dec.com>
Date: 13 May 91 12:43:49 GMT
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Distribution: usa
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 28

In article <100921.10755@timbuk.cray.com>, rice@willow23.cray.com (Jonathan Rice) writes...
>In article <19934@slice.ooc.uva.nl> ropg@ooc.uva.nl (Rop Gonggrijp) writes:
>> [much more fascinating electroinformation deleted...]
> 
>Apparently, though, the checker-outers of books found that it slowed them
>down too much to have to quell the gizmos, so the entire system was turned
>off for more than a year.  The theft prevention device was nothing more than
>the expectation created by the signs and detectors.
> 

	Very interesting --- this is generally the practice at video stores
	around here. No effort is made to "un-do" the "gizmo" planted in the
	video's box; the check-out person simplies slides the video along 
	the counter, away from the gizmo-detectors. Everyone leaving the 
	store, however, must pass _through_ the detectors, and pick up the
	rented videos on the other side.

	I believe my local library has adopted a similar practice. The 
	logistical relationship between most older library checkouts and
	their exit doors probably necessitate that the "un-do" scheme still
	be use, however.

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