1. http://www.niso.org/news/events/2011/nisowebinars/rfidpartone/
RFID Systems in Libraries
Part One: An Introduction
April 13, 2011
Speakers: Alan Gray and Rob Walsh

2. RFID in Libraries
RFID IN THE REAL [LIBRARY] WORLD
Alan Gray, Assistant Director, Operations, Darien Library

3. Why Standards?
 Standards protect your investment in RFID
 future-proofing
 allowing implementation of combined systems.

4. Why Standards?
 If a vendor isn’t acting in your interest by
adopting standards rigorously, guess whose
interests are being protected?

5. The Value Equation
Price against Value

6. The Costs of RFID
 An RFID tag costs $.20 to $.40 more than a
barcode
 An RFID-enabled Library card costs $1.00 to
$2.00 more than one with a barcode.
 Materials management systems (automated
returns and sorters) have no significant
difference in cost between RFID and
barcode, though combined systems have a
somewhat higher cost

7. Benefits of RFID
Bottom line:
“Everything goes better with RFID”

8. Benefits of RFID
The true bottom line[s]:
You can’t justify RFID alone for circulation desk
activities [payback greater than 10 years] but an
RFID-enabled materials management system
[automated return and sorting] can have a
payback period as low as 4 years.

9. Benefits of RFID
 Security is a close call:
 If you don’t have security and want it,
implementing RFID will give you security AND the
benefits of RFID
 RFID security is least-effective on metal substrate
items such as CDs and DVDs, so that immediate
issue is not completely addressed, but of course,
that may not be an issue for many libraries in the
mid-term future.

10. The [Future] Benefits of RFID
 The granularity of the new profile will
eventually allow RFID itself to be used for:
 Supply chain efficiencies
 Reads from the chip [no SIP calls] so that systems
cycle faster, are more efficient and are remotely-
deployable
 Interoperability among libraries when we can read
each other’s tags [ILL]

11. The Decision for RFID
 Every library considering new construction,
expansion or significant re-purposing of
existing space should seriously contemplate
the very real benefits [current, near-term and
future] of RFID.

12. Thanks
 Lori Ayre of the Galecia Group has done some
very interesting studies on materials
management and RFID, and I thank her for
her input.
www.galecia.com

13. NISO RFID
Systems in Libraries
The Supply Chain Perspective
Rob Walsh, President & Co-founder, EnvisionWare,
Inc.

14. Outline
• Why invest in RFID?
• RFID Technologies
• RFID Services

15. Why Invest in RFID?

16. Why invest in RFID?
• Efficiency Gains
• Stock Management
• Security

17. Efficiency Gains
• Self Check Out
• Easier than barcode
• Faster than barcode
• More flexible than barcode

18. Efficiency Gains
• Self Check In
• Slower than barcode
• Real-time check in
• Real-time sortation
• Decreases time from bin to shelf

19. Efficiency Gains
• Circulation Desk and Back Room
Processing
• Easier than barcode
• Reduces item manipulation
• Speed dependent on implementation

20. Stock Management
• Inventory
• Item Tracking and Location

21. Security
• Books
• Magazines and Journals
• CD / DVD Media

22. RFID Technologies

23. RFID Technologies
• Tags
• ISO 18000-3 Mode 1
• HF 13.56 MHz
• Read range ~10-15 in.

24. RFID Technologies
• RFID Readers and Antennas
• One set per station
• Software must be RFID-aware

25. RFID Technologies
• Tag Encoding
• Data format traditionally vendor-
specific
• ISO 28560 approved
• NISO RP-6 Best Practices
document updated to include US
profile
• US profile based on ISO 28560
Part 2

26. RFID Technologies
• Tag Encoding
• Mobile encoding stations
• Any station with RFID reader,
antenna, and encoding software can
encode

27. RFID Technologies
• Tag Encoding
• Concentrated effort
• As part of circulation cycle

28. RFID Technologies
• Inventory Management
• Multi-function portable devices
• Any station with RFID reader,
antenna, and inventory software can
manage inventory

29. RFID Technologies
• Security
• Gates function like traditional EM
gates but can identify individual items
still secure
• Can integrate with software
monitoring systems

30. RFID Technologies
• Self Check Out Stations
• Generally RFID-aware versions of
traditional self check out stations
• May have special provisions for
locking media

31. RFID Technologies
• Staff Processing Stations
• Generally software added to existing
staff stations
• RFID processing might be integrated
or “bolt-on”

32. RFID Technologies
• Self Check In (Automated Materials
Handling / AMH)
• Single bin automated returns assist
with strict item limits
• Sortation generally requires at least 2
or 3 bins

33. RFID Services

34. RFID Services
• Tag encoding
• Physical tag placement
• Tag printing

35. RFID Services
• Services might be provided:
• On-site
• At remote location