RedLaser iPhone app Puts Library Information In Your Pocket

Have you ever been in a bookstore and seen something interesting, but not had the cash to buy it? If so, then perhaps you could get it at your local library. But how would you know if they had it in stock or not? Well, a new app for the iPhone hopes to be the answer to that question.

Thanks to technology, your iPhone can now become a barcode scanner. RedLaser is the latest tool created by Colorado-based startup Occipital, LLC. Amongst the vast array of uses this app offers, it now allows you to scan a book and, using WorldCat.org library information (a nationwide library database), see what nearby libraries have it in stock.

The app also allows gives driving directions, hours of operation, and phone numbers of local libraries. For $1.99, all library catalog information can be available in your pocket at all times.

The app uses Google Product Search to pull information straight from WorldCat.org libraries. Thank you to the OCLC and Occipital for giving us the power to become walking card catalogs. Read more about it on the WorldCat Blog.