Name: Fax Burner
Cost: Free, for receiving 25 pages and sending 5
Platform: This app is iOS only, though Android equivalents do exist in the Marketplace
Last week, a conversation on the twitter #libchat stopped me in my tracks:
While faxing is a technology that might seem behind the times, whether it’s a W9 or some other documentation related to employment or enrollment status, we’ve all had patrons who needed something scanned rather desperately to get requisite documentation to agencies or organizations that required that format. On those occasions, I’ve used Fax Burner, with excellent results.
Though many scanning applications offer in-purchase fax options (both JotNot and CamScanner offer $1 a page options), Fax Burner offers you the ability to send and receive a limited number of pages without any financial outlay.
The fax number it generates will link to your email for twenty-four hours, and you can easily earmark a file for transmission from your images or in your Dropbox.
Is this app a potential solution for busy libraries seeking to provide the service? It would be easy enough to screencast a Fax Burner tutorial for those with capable devices that need to fax. For libraries wanting to supply a more regular service, a $10 or $20 a month premium plan includes a permanent fax number and generous page limits. Those subscriptions may be less than an additional phone line for more traditional data transmission.
For more apps for youth services librarians and the teens they serve, check out the App of the Week archive. Know an app you would like us to spotlight? Let us know.
