More and more of our lives are becoming automated. While there are certainly drawbacks to this—a potentially diminished capacity for effective social interaction, for example—there are undeniable benefits as well. Electronic storage of data and information, for one, has a positive environmental impact as less hard copies and paper are required to be used and kept. This is evident in the increasing popularity of ebooks. Believe it or not, the United States actually lags behind several other developed nations in their adaptation to the electronic book phenomenon. South Korea is one country in which nearly the entirety of their schools’ textbooks is now accessed via the internet.
Beyond the ebook and its platforms like Google Books and Google Scholar and its devices like the Kindle and Nook, the barcode is another ubiquitous symbol of the digital age. Barcodes were seized upon by early adopters like the manufacturing, shipping and retail industries as very efficient means of transmitting and storing information. These days, an increasingly diverse group of people and businesses are utilizing barcodes and barcode readers to make their processes more efficient. Here is a look at some of the ways barcode readers are used today; after reading, any who feel that barcodes and readers might be a good fit for their operation should inquire with a company specializing in barcode reader rentals to find out more information.
Seminars
Many organizations hold annual meetings, conferences or seminars. Other organizations are responsible for holding gatherings on a more frequent basis. The larger these gatherings become, the more difficult and important it can be to track attendance. Many organizers of such large conferences where attendance is required to be tracked, perhaps as part of continuing education requirements, are finding a solution to their problem in the form of barcode readers. These barcode readers allow attendees of conferences to scan badges to record attendance at the larger event or at a specific presentation or meeting. Not only does this mean less time and manpower is required of the event’s organizer, it allows the attendance data to be easily rerouted where it needs to go.
Safety Inspections
Fire extinguishers and other safety equipment are usually equipped with barcodes that are tied to information about the specific piece of equipment. Included in this information are details about the specific capabilities of the equipment and the safety standards for which it satisfies the requirement. Since safety codes are constantly being updated, this equipment may be rendered out-of-date. Safety inspectors and safety departments are thus constantly required to check and make sure their equipment is up-to-date. Barcode readers are available to rent that come equipped with programs designed to assess whether a piece of safety equipment is up-to-date. This makes the process of checking the equipment much quicker for safety departments and in turn makes us all safer.
Athletic Events
Most people may not associate bar codes with athletic events. But the scale of many larger events can balloon their attendance to the level of large seminars. Think about how many people run large marathons, or participate in large charity runs/walks or basketball tournaments. For marathons, tracking the attendance and performance of their athletes is important. This tracking is equally important for charity events as there are often donation amounts tied to the results. These events often assign runners and walkers with barcodes at the onset of the race and use barcode readers at the end or at various points throughout the race to track their progress. Among other uses, this makes it possible to marvel at your accomplishments immediately and share the proof with your friends and family.