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Radio Frequency Identification and Public Libraries
Beginning last fall, your library began implementing several initiatives designed to increase staff efficiency, enhance the security of library materials, and, most importantly, make it even easier for you to use the library. A key element of these changes is the installation of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on the library’s collection, which was recommended last year by the citizen-led Access Policy Committee of the Multnomah County Library Advisory Board.
What is RFID and how does it work?
RFID is a method of remotely storing and retrieving data using devices called RFID tags that can be attached to a product. RFID tags contain antennae to enable them to receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from an RFID transmitter/receiver. RFID tags are used for a wide variety of purposes, including employee ID badges for businesses and government agencies, personal identification, and inventory control in retail.
How do libraries use RFID?
Libraries place RFID tags in each library item (book, CD, DVD, etc.). The tags are used to check materials out and in and are also used in the library’s theft detection system. These tags are passive, containing no power supply, so they can’t transmit any data on their own. When a library user or staff member places tagged items on or near a receiver pad and scans the user’s library barcode, the items are checked out. The receiver pad sends an incoming radio frequency scan to the tag, which induces a minute electrical current in the tag’s antenna, allowing the tag to send the item’s unique identification number back to the receiver. The receiver then communicates the identifier to the library’s computer system, completing the transaction.
Is RFID a new technology in libraries?
RFID has been successfully used in libraries in Asia, Europe and North America for over a decade. In the U.S., you’ll find RFID-tagged collections in libraries in Seattle, Eugene, Fresno, Salt Lake County and over 50 other communities. RFID use in libraries is safe and maintains the privacy of patron records. Increasingly, libraries are adopting RFID technology to handle growing workloads.
Where else are RFID tags used?
Various types of RFID tags are used for purposes such as key cards, medical error-avoidance, pet identification, vehicle identification, retail supply chain management and many others.
What are the benefits of RFID?
Improved theft prevention and collection management. RFID tags will double as security tags for the library’s new theft detection system. A study at Salt Lake City Library showed that RFID tags were more effective in preventing theft than the magnetic strips that have typically been used in the past. In addition, RFID technology makes it easier to locate items that are on hold, missing or misshelved. With RFID, library staff can conduct periodic inventories that would otherwise be too labor intensive to undertake, thus enabling better stewardship of the collection.
Speedier processing of library materials—and healthier staff. A study by one library showed that items with RFID tags require 80 percent less handling than items with a barcode and a magnetic security strip. With RFID, items move faster through the system because multiple items can often be checked in or out as a group rather than individually. This not only makes materials available to patrons more quickly, it also lowers the incidence of repetitive stress injury (such as hand, wrist or shoulder pain) among the workers who handle library materials daily. In the future, RFID offers the potential to automate other manual tasks (such as sorting) to improve efficiency even further.
Easier checkout. Many library patrons prefer the speed, convenience and privacy of checking out their own materials, and RFID makes checkout even better. The latest RFID-enabled checkout machines allow users to renew materials, check the status of holds and pay charges on their accounts. High self-check rates are common in libraries with RFID, and library staff can still help you when you need it, while also handling increasing workloads.
Are there any health effects associated with RFID?
The World Health Organization and many other organizations have conducted extensive research on the potential health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields. According to the WHO, “scientific knowledge in this area is now more extensive than for most chemicals” (www.who.int/peh-emf/about/ WhatisEMF/ en/index1.html).
The WHO has concluded that, at the frequency used by the library’s RFID systems (13.56 MHz), there is no evidence of adverse effects to general health or pregnancy. Nor is there any record of interference with medical devices such as pacemakers, though consumers should continue to inform themselves about possible interactions with any source of electromagnetic fields.
Health organizations continue to investigate possible health effects, and the library is committed to monitoring ongoing research and adjusting its RFID strategy in response to new information.
Since the RFID tags placed in library items are passive, they do not produce electromagnetic fields except when in proximity to a powered transmitter, such as those used in the library’s checkout stations and security gates. Patrons may be assured that a library book or DVD does not produce an electromagnetic field on its own.
Will there be an RFID tag in my library card?
Multnomah County Library does not plan to use RFID-enabled library cards at this time. Should we do so in the future, the only information on the tag would be a unique identification number linked to your library record in our secure computer system.
How will my privacy be protected when RFID tags are used to identify library materials?
The library’s RFID tags will carry only unique numerical identifiers. No title, author, publisher information, patron name or use pattern can be found by reading an RFID tag.
Will the conversion to RFID cause any staff to lose their jobs?
The intent with RFID is not to cut staffing levels; rather it is to gain efficiencies and improve processes in such a way that we are able to effectively manage the workload we have (and which will more than likely continue to increase, at least for a while) with the staffing levels we have.
What is the cost of the RFID conversion?
The cost of the RFID conversion, checkout stations and security gates at Central Library and all branch libraries is $2.9 million.
For more information
The American Library Association’s 2006 guidelines for use of RFID in libraries
Multnomah County Library’s privacy policy
Recommendation regarding privacy issues and use of RFID for library materials handling by the Access Policy Advisory Committee of the Multnomah County Library Advisory Board (March 6, 2009)