What are Checkout Cards?

Checkout Cards are just what they sound like. They are cards that have the student's name and their library barcode on them. The barcode is so handy for scanning when the student is ready to checkout. All you have to do is scan their student barcode and then scan the book barcode!

Librarians like to use them for a variety of reasons including the following:

• They can be used as shelf markers

• They can make checkouts easier and faster

• They encourage student independence

• They can be used as a reward system

How do I create them?

1. You can print off student barcodes within Destiny.

   1. Go to Back Office > Reports > Patron Reports > Barcode Labels

   2. Sort by Grade Level or Homeroom

   3. Choose what kind of label stock you're using

2. Once you have your labels created, you can affix them to anything you want to use such as this Canva Template that uses the Dewey Decimal System.

How do I organize them?

Once you have your cards created, you'll want to figure out how you want to organize them. I've seen a few different ways:

1. Pocket chart to hold each class of cards

2. Basket

3. Shelf

4. Empty paint can

Tip: You'll need to decide how you want to distinguish the cards from different classes or grade levels, such as different color of cards/labels, stickers, etc.

Getting Started

Cari, from Library Learners, has a great post on how to implement Checkout Cards. It's a little work at the beginning of the year, but oh so worth it! You'll be glad you did it.