I would not be afraid of using a Kiosk, especially if there was a way for the software to exist on a cell phone. That way people could still browse at their table and if the kj had a phone could text their requests, altho that might make cheating the rotation easier.
But i would still have books for several reasons
1. Some people are technophobes. They are simply unwilling to learn how to use something, even if the process is simple.
Sorry. I can't be responsible for them. I have a whole room full of others that don't have this problem.
2. Some people are more tactile. they like something they can feel and touch. Flipping thru a book makes the experience more personal/real for them
So, print a couple books so you can ween them off... it will work. I did exactly that because I had the same concerns you do now. The books will eventually fade away.
3. I can look up stuff faster in a book than it takes me to type in the name of something I am looking for, and a lot of my regulars were the same way
No you can't. I can find all the songs by "Jim Croce" in 4 touches of 1 finger. Do that with a book.
4. I have experience the same thing as Thunder, people who have absolutely NO interest in singing, but decide to flip thru the book just out of curiousity. The likelyhood of someone having no interest in singing walking up to a kiosk is remote. Besides, in my books, I have all sorts of jokes, stories and short blubs that a person can read while they are waiting for their turn. you can't put that in a kiosk..
If they're just going to browse your book and never sing, then it's a wasted book isn't it? (unless you call browsing a songbook your way of "keeping a crowd")
Then it's a storybook, cartoon book, joke book and finally a karaoke book. This confirms that the books are getting more and more useless.