[OPLINLIST] Tracking device on circulating bicycles

[Chad Neeper]

Riffing on part of James' comment:  It might be easy/cheap to spray paint
the bikes in such a way as to make them extremely distinctive and perhaps
even just unpleasant enough to be somewhat undesirable to keep/steal...but
yet not too embarrassing to ride. Or even just go all-out and make the
whole thing hot pink with the library's name stenciled on a crossbar. It
doesn't necessarily address the original question, but it *might* help be a
mild theft deterrent.

I don't know if it's a good idea or a bad idea. It just popped into my head
when I was reading the thread, so I figured I'd put it out there.

Good luck!
______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in public libraries*


On Tue, May 6, 2025 at 11:13 AM James Hill via OPLINLIST <
oplinlist at lists.oplin.org> wrote:

> Hi Kevin,
>
> We don't have tracking devices, but our bike share is a little different
> than others; it does have a bluetooth lock that tells us when it's locked,
> but not it's minute-by-minute location.
>
> We partnered with the Health District and city transit department and have
> kiosks at the library and within the community. If you're doing
> internal-only checkouts, it won't be hard to keep track of who has which
> bike. I will add that, if possible, try to get a bike that pretty different
> than anything commonly seen in town, that way if a bike does go missing it
> will be quickly recognizable by the police.
>
> Concerning reporting theft, that's hard to do. Locally our police will try
> to retrieve a bike when needed, but we haven't successfully been able to
> treat it as theft without going to small claims court. The rationale is
> that it's not theft if you gave the patron permission to use the
> bike—lending periods be damned.
>
> This is the company we've used for our bike share in Chillicothe:
> https://onbikeshare.com/
>
> I'm happy to answer any other questions. Feel free to call or email.
> James
>
>
> _________________________________
> James Hill
> (he/him/his)
>
> Executive Director
> Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library
> POB 185
> 40 W. 5th St.
> Chillicothe OH  45601
>
> jhill at crcpl.org
> 740-447-8200 mobile
> 740-702-4162 desk
>
> *LIBRARY MISSION*—Enriching our community by providing free access to
> information, fostering a love for reading, promoting lifelong learning, and
> creating a welcoming space for connections and collaboration.
> ------------------------------
> *From:* OPLINLIST <oplinlist-bounces at lists.oplin.org> on behalf of Kevin
> Clark via OPLINLIST <oplinlist at lists.oplin.org>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 6, 2025 11:05 AM
> *To:* oplinlist at lists.oplin.org <oplinlist at lists.oplin.org>
> *Subject:* [OPLINLIST] Tracking device on circulating bicycles
>
> We are starting a bike share program with the Clark County Combined Health
> District. The Health District has received grant funds to purchase items to
> begin a pilot program in Clark County.
>
> Our question, due to the cost of these items, does any library that
> circulates bikes put a tracking device on the bike to help in recovery if
> it is not returned in a timely fashion?   The bikes would still belong to
> the Health District and the Library would be the distribution point
> circulating the bikes in a normal library manner.  The person I am working
> with at the Health Dept has stated that she would have no problem filing a
> police report to get their property (the bike) back after a predetermined
> overdue time frame.
>
> Thank you in advance for your time and expertise in this matter
>
>
> Kevin Clark
> Reference Manager
> Clark County Public Library
> 201 S. Fountain Ave.
> Springfield, OH 45506
> 937-328-6903
> kclark at ccplohio.org
> www.ccplohio.org
>
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