services and facilities

[ripley]

Hi,

I'd like to know the difference between services and facilities..

For example if you are in a museum and there is an interactive guide (computerized) how would you call it: a service or a facility?

I looked up in the dictionary and I read that service is a job a person does (so, what about a computerized guide?) or a system people pay taxes for ...

so I think a computerized guide is a fadility (??!!!!)

and what about a coffee point or a library inside the museum of my example?


Thanks a lot

Rip

[Fizi]

Yes, a service often involves assistance from people, like visitor services, information service, or repair service. Facilities are often things, such as restroom facilities which might include showers and such, or camping facilities like electrical hookups and a BBQ.
Although something like a computerized guide is both a piece of equipment and a service or information provider, I'd say service is more often used and facility is rarely used for them. Sometimes even the word service will be left out in favor of other more specific words which just describe what it is and/or what it does.
Ex -
Self-service coffee
Automated library guide
Automated teller machine
Computerized voting station
Self-service checkout station
Computerized registration service