Creating a home grown information kiosk anddisplay system on the cheap

When the Dickinson College Library wanted to install an information display system to communicate upcoming events and highlight Library activities, they contacted the User Services division for input. Rather than paying thousands of dollars on a turnkey solution, two industrious Computing Specialists decided they could build the ideal system using old computers and elbow grease.

Our presentation will detail the history of creating a system which includes an interactive touch panel system and an information display system which has received high praise from both the end users and those people responsible for adding the content. The finished product uses a ColdFusion backend for administering the display content and determining priority for how often and how long slides should be displayed. The touch panel system includes an interactive map of the Library in addition to easy access to Library Study Room availability, computer lab use, and Library news, and rotating content when not in use. The computers driving the displays connect to the server using either wired or wireless connections.

From the humble beginnings of a laptop with the display removed and put back on backwards, to the custom built furniture that was designed to house the production system that was put into place this winter; attendees will learn the challenges of designing a system from the ground up and leave with the details they need to put such a system in place at their institutions.