Print Volumes Rising with Netloan Wi-Fi Print at Cardiff Libraries

Cardiff Libraries’ introduction of netloan Wi-Fi print has been a great success throughout the city’s 21 libraries. Less than a year after launching in summer 2022, it already accounts for a quarter of all print volumes. The total amount of printing has increased significantly, providing a bigger revenue stream for the libraries.

With all library sites making use of the service, there has been widespread approval and some great feedback.

Here’s what library staff representing a number of different branches have shared with us:

“Canton (Library) has taken well to the Wi-Fi print service. We use it all the time over here.”

“Our customers are very happy with this service, once with our persuasion they are confident to use it via netloan, they can’t believe how user friendly it is.”

“Once shown how to use netloan, customers are happy with the service. They are also impressed that they can queue printing from home.”

“We’ve had really positive feedback from customers at Penylan and Rhydypennau. It’s taken some persuasion at times – usually customers who weren’t members of the library – but the fact that it’s easy to use and has flexibility wins them over.”

“Once borrowers have been shown how to use the netloan (Wi-Fi print) system, it has proven to be very popular.”

“Wi-Fi printing has definitely been popular in Central.”

Staff are finding it easy to explain how to print from users’ phones, tablets and laptops. They are making use of posters provided by Lorensbergs to publicise the service, adding a QR code to take users directly to the netloan portal for uploading documents to print from library printers.

James Gorwill, Digital Officer at Cardiff Libraries, says:

“Both staff and customers have welcomed using the new Wi-Fi printing service, and are happy using it as a standard way to print. It’s appealed to a wide range of customers, both young and old.

“Often customers have something on their phone that they want to print, and for a while there’s been a reasonable expectation that you would be able to send it directly to print in the library. With Wi-Fi print it means they can do that in just a few short steps.”

For those members of staff who move between library sites, netloan Wi-Fi print is proving incredibly useful. It allows them to submit documents and then release them from a printer at the required site. As James adds:

“You can easily queue a print job using netloan Wi-Fi print, then when you’re on site at a library, you can choose to release it at that location. It’s fabulous in that regard, especially if it’s not clear which sites you’ll be visiting that day. Our digital support team have been using it a lot.”

As well as being popular with library customers and staff, the new wireless capability supports library partners. Cardiff Libraries takes a hub approach and has a number of co-located services at their sites:

“Immigration, passports and money advice services require you to print out a document to complete an application. The customer receives it by email and now they are able to print it straight out from their device using Wi-Fi print. It makes application processes a lot quicker and simpler.”

It’s great to see netloan Wi-Fi print is boosting both service usage and revenue for Cardiff Libraries, with print volumes continuing to rise month to month.

With thanks to James Gorwill at Cardiff Libraries for talking to Lorensbergs about the library’s Wi-Fi print experiences.