Asset Management System - Barcode Reader?

I'm looking at creating an asset management system for all our electrical equipment, the equipment already have security labels with barcodes on them. What I am wanting is to be able to do is create a form where i can state some general information about the piece of equipment and then scan a barcode to register the equipments security number. so that if an employee needs to use that piece of equipment off site then I can just scan the barcode and register that the employee has taken the equipment.

My understanding is that the barcode reader is generally plug and play and acts as an input device? So what I would need to do is find a way to identify which input device is used, and if it is the reader find a way to assign a labels text to the value that has been read, rather that insert it into a textbox? I also want to display the actual barcode itself above the label, so I assume I would need to re-generate the barcode as an image and then display the image?