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Improving library technologies allow patrons greater autonomy. One such technology, self-checkout kiosks, puts patrons in virtual control over their circulation experience. Whereas previously patrons had to approach circulation staff to check out, now this can be done privately. The impact self-checkout has on the circulation of potentially embarrassing or controversial materials is unknown. In this study, select lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) and non-LGBT materials at Central Michigan University's Park Library were anonymously tracked for one academic year to determine if they circulated via self-check or the traditional circulation desk. LGBT materials circulated twenty percent more via self-check, indicating that patrons appreciated the machines' privacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries ethnic Danes and Germans lived together peacefully in the independent Duchy of Schleswig. In 1864, Schleswig's independence ended when it was formally incorporated into Prussia, a predominantly German-speaking nation. This also resulted in the creation of a large Danish minority in northern Schleswig. A final border revision in 1920 repatriated most ethnic Danes, but it also established a German minority in Denmark. Since then, both Denmark and Germany have provided robust cultural and educational programming and services, including libraries, to help preserve connections for ethnic Danes and Germans to their ancestral homeland. This paper provides an overview of Schleswig's history prior to and immediately following the 1920 border revision. Its main focus, however, is on the comprehensive public library services provided to Schleswig's ethnic Danes and Germans. The libraries are unique, and they play a vital role in educating Schleswig's ethnic Danes and Germans about their ancestral homelands, while promoting civic engagement in their adopted countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]