Impact of RFID Tags in Libraries

RFID tags have been an extremely helpful tool in the growth of libraries. They have allowed circulation services to be much more efficient and quicker than before. There are many products that contain RFID tags besides library materials – farm animals, car keys, security tags, and tollway tags ¹. RFID tags were originally used to track wild and farm animals, then they eventually expanded into other areas and it was realized that they could be used for collection management and security in libraries ¹. As of 2005, there were about 60 libraries with 10 million books using RFID tags ¹, but these numbers are surely much higher now.

RFID tags are used for many different things within a library. They can be used to “keep track of user history, the life cycle of a book … [and enable] librarians to keep better inventory and better security control of the library” ¹. These tags, paired with the computer systems and programs that keep track of this data, can really be beneficial to libraries when it comes to retrieving records or information about books. In addition to the uses listed, the tags can also show information such as an item’s barcode, name, when it was last checked out, when it was last checked in, and which patron had it last. Some other benefits of these tags include reducing lines at the checkout counter, less repetitive work for the staff, reduced costs and handling, inventory control, automated sorting, and the ability to find misshelved items ¹. Many libraries, now that they have RFID tags in the materials, have implemented self-check systems in which the patrons check out their own materials themselves.

As mentioned, security is an important issue when it comes to RFID tags. Libraries with RFID tags in their items typically have security gates installed at the front doors. The devices at the front doors are called “sensors”, while the devices used by the staff to check in and out materials are called “readers” ². If a patron walks out of the door without checking out an item, the sensors at the door go off. This helps to cut down on theft of library materials.

As shown, there are many benefits of having RFID tags in library items. They hold information and allow for quicker check-in and check-out of items. They also are helpful to the staff because an item with an RFID tag does not have to be in the line of sight of the reader ². Barcodes must be in the line of sight of the barcode reader, so it takes longer to check in/out books items way. Items with RFID tags can be checked in/out from a further distance and also much quicker than items with just barcodes ².

A major benefit of these tags is that they open up the possibility for a library to have other technologies that they are compatible with. One of these technologies is the self check-out. Nowadays most libraries have these. A self check-out consists of a scanner to read the library card barcodes, an RFID pad to read the materials, and computer monitor (and an unlocking device if the library has locked DVD cases) ³. Self check-outs are helpful because patrons can skip long lines at the check-out/circulation desk and check materials out on their own ³. Librarians and other library staff will direct patrons to the self check-outs when needed and show them how to use them. There are some occasional problems with self check-outs but the “benefits to the system outweigh the challenges and predicted to increase as patrons become accustomed to the new system” ³.

Some libraries have invested in automatic sorters and/or automatic check-in systems. The items are put in a bin or a slot and ride down a conveyor belt, which has sensors on it, and get checked in. They are then sorted into bins or onto other conveyor belts that go where the item needs to go. These automatic systems would not be possible if the RFID tags were not in the items. The library that I work at (Canton Public Library) is going to be getting a machine like this within the next few weeks. All of the RFID tags in the items were replaced last fall and now they are compatible with new software and with the sorting system.

Here is a decent video of a sorting machine that sorts the items with conveyor belts. The books are placed into the bookdrop and then checked in and sorted with the conveyor belt. This one is more advanced than some in the fact that it actually places the books on carts, instead of just throwing them into bins.
Sorting System Video

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¹Erwin, Emmett and Christian Kern (2005). Radio Frequency Identification
in Libraries. Australas Public Library Inf Serv, 18(1), 20-8.

²Galhorta, M.K. and A.M. Galhorta (2009). Application of Radio Frequency Identification Technology in Libraries. DESIDOC J Libr Inf Technol, 29(3), 59-64.

³Thompson, Jessica E. (2006). Self Check-Out. Georgia Library Quarterly, 43(2), 15-17.