RFID

by April Everett Rowan Public Library

According to library sage S.R. Ranganatham, “An organism which ceases to grow will petrify and perish.”  Libraries have historically demonstrated a propensity to grow by adapting to technological change.  In the mid-20^th century, librarians pioneered computerized metadata framework, a technology that revolutionized the sharing of bibliographic and holdings information.  Automated circulation arrived shortly thereafter, and the card catalog went the way of the eight track tape.  Personal computers and online cataloging, acquisitions, and circulation carried the profession through the 1990s, and the introduction of a new technology known as radio frequency identification (RFID) has carried the profession into the 21^st century. 

While traditional barcodes remain the identification system of choice for most libraries, there are currently more than 120 library systems worldwide using RFID to make checkout more efficient for their patrons.  While its exact date of creation is unknown, RFID is believed by many to have been begun as a friendly-fire-avoidance tool used during World War II by U.S. and British airplanes.  RFID allowed communication between the planes and receivers on the battlefield.  In more recent history, RFID has been utilized heavily in supply chain management industry, and is also being used by the U.S. government in passports, in EZ Pass gates at toll booths, and even in healthcare.

Rather than scanning individual items, RFID allows library staff to scan multiple tagged items simultaneously.  It increases efficiency, allowing a patron to check out ten items in less than one minute, a considerable time saver for staff and patrons.  It also allows for accurate inventory and a reduction of incorrectly shelved books.  Holding an RFID wand, staff will be able to walk through the stacks and locate misshelved items with ease.

Rowan Public Library first introduced RFID at its South Rowan Regional Library in 2006.  In 2014, Rowan Public Library was awarded a Project Access and Digitization Grant from the State Library of North Carolina to continue RFID usage throughout the system.  The Rowan Public Library East Branch and Headquarters staff will spend the next few months tagging items to prepare them for the switch to RFID.  RFID checkout at those branches is set to begin in Spring 2015, bringing our customers faster, more efficient service.