RFID tags increase efficiency
LIBRARY DVD GUIDE: Technology helps libraries keep better track of inventory
By Chris Gennusa -- Video Business, 5/12/2008
MAY 12 | LIBRARY DVD GUIDE: Radio frequency identification tags increasingly provide a cost-effective way for libraries to get a grasp on sprawling inventories. But plain old barcoding isn’t ready for the history books just yet.
The Santa Monica Public Library adopted RFID tags in 2006.
“RFID’s two biggest benefits for libraries are cost savings and better inventory controls,” says David Wagner, associate professor of computer science at UC Berkeley. “RFID can store specific book and DVD information.”
But a brand-name RFID system can be pricey. New Jersey Princeton Public Library director Leslie Burger says her library spent $225,000 on a Libramation RFID system four years ago. She gives RFID a thumbs up, but not perfect marks. “The read that it gets on DVDs is not as robust as with our books,” she says.
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The Santa Monica Public Library in Santa Monica, Calif., took the RFID plunge in 2006, hoping to achieve a safer workplace for employees and quicker check-out times , says Diane Bednarski, principal librarian for information management.
“With barcoding, staff had to individually open every book and DVD case and scan the barcode, contributing to repetitive motion stress,” she says.
