Comments on: CardStar

By: Piyush

Piyush — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:53:31 +0000

My library at Clifton park NY declined to accept cardmaster in lieu of the papercard. They claim that i may have someone else’s number stored on my cell, which doesn’t make much sense to me since they allow using someone else’s paper card to borrow items (e.g., my wife’s).

By: Libby

Libby — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:21:41 +0000

Not sure what you mean about fine print? their FAQ amkes it clear they dont collect personal data. Great app, btw.

By: Martin Malchole

Martin Malchole — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:43:16 +0000

REad their fine print. I am very concerned about privacy and from their website it looks like they collect data. They should be more upfront about why app is free. Would like use a pay version to protect privacy.

By: Asif Suria

Asif Suria — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:48:49 +0000

Good observation Josh.

By: Josh Zytkiewicz

Josh Zytkiewicz — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:36:37 +0000

“Even the Retail tab lacks a few prominent American stores, such as WalMart, and Target”

Walmart and Target don’t have loyalty card programs so there would be no need for them to be listed.

By: Jackie Judge

Jackie Judge — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:15:40 +0000

Thanks for the excellent point Librarygeek. In regards to having a physical library card for privacy reasons, I cannot help but remember that every time I’ve used Sonoma County libraries or the San Francisco Public Library, they have never checked my I.D, making me wonder just how concerned they are with privacy over simply having people use the public library. I used my mother’s card in high school, even afterward, and I’ve had people use my college I.D (when missing) to access the campus’ computer labs, since it’s all automated with a wave of the barcode.

I plan on still using my library card, because I enjoy representing my local public library – and have for many years – but it’s nice to know if I ever lose mine, or forget it, I can still use Cardstar.

By: Asif Suria

Asif Suria — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 00:41:06 +0000

You bring up an interesting point Librarygeek. I would think it would be more likely for people to lose their library cards instead of their cell phones but have noticed instances of people losing cell phones with increasing frequency in recent months.

It might be a good idea for Cardstar to include a security feature such as a master password for the entire app or a password for specific cards. I just tried using their Advanced option and it does not have any security options either. The inverted option is cool to invert the bar code.

By: librarygeek

librarygeek — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:24:26 +0000

Wondering how libraries feel about this. They worry about patrons losing their cards and many people accessing their personal information at the library. with a library card in hand, you can pick up books, and sometimes get library account personal information. Many libraries require patrons to have physical cards to check out items to protect their information (privacy is highly valued in libraries – a basic value.) Using a library card facsimile can run afoul of library privacy protections. Libraries may choose to refuse patrons that use CardStar and its like — which sucks for everyone (libraries just want to help, not hinder.)