Saturday: 6/28/2008 8:00 am – 10:00 am, Anaheim Convention Center 204C
RFID in Libraries: The Myths, FAQs, and ROISpeakers
Karen McPheeters, Farmington Public Library, NM
Lucie Osborn and Carey Hartman, Laramie County Library System, WY
Ross McLachlan, Phoenix Public Library, AZ
Brace yourself - I think this is going to be a long post!
This was the scheduled session that I was perhaps most excited about, and it did not disappoint!
RFID (Radio frequency identification) is a technology being implemented in more and more
libraries across the country (though, to the best of my knowledge, nobody in Maine is yet using it). Basically, where we currently use barcodes on library items, which must be manually scanned, RFID – as the name implies – transmits the barcode information so that it can be more readily “read” without having to specifically scan an item. In sort, with RFID, the books can – essentially - check themselves out with minimal human intervention.
RFID opens up a world of possibilities for a library, such as…
- Streamlined checkouts/checkins – This tends to be the basic implementation of RFID in libraries. With RFID, checking out library items – particularly multiple items – becomes as simple as scanning the patron’s card, setting the pile of books on the counter and then handing the patron a receipt. With RFID, there is no need to look for barcodes to scan, so the repetitive motions that staff currently go through with each checkout is eliminated. The RFID reader in or on the checkout counter “hears” the signals from the item tags and checks them out to the patron’s account. A pile of books can be fully checked out within seconds.
- Patron enabled checkouts – A byproduct of the degree to which RFID technology simplifies the checkout process is that checking out materials is so easy and error proof that patrons can do it themselves! Patron self-checkout allows for a patron (who so chooses) to process his or her own library transactions. Some libraries offer self-checkout purely as an option for patrons to choose, while others make self-checkout stations the sole means of checking out materials. For all libraries, staff assistance with self-checkout is always readily available.
- Collection maintenance – Most “lost” books in a library tend to actually still be in the library, but shelved incorrectly. When your systems rely on order to find things, an item that falls out of its intended order essentially becomes invisible until you either stumble across it in the incorrect location or invest the time in an item-by-item search for it. With RFID, since the library’s items are now able to send out a signal, you can use small handheld devices to quickly scan your shelves to find out of place materials. The handheld device also makes it easy to “shelf read” – you simply pass the device over the spines of books on a shelf and the device will alert you to items which are out of order, items which should be on the shelf but are not, and items which the system thinks should be checked out but are actually on the shelf.
- Loss prevention – RFID technology can be integrated into library security systems. With an RFID system, the tags in a library item is changed at the point of checkout so that the item “broadcasts” that it has been checked out. If an item passes through the security gate system, but is broadcasting that it has not yet been checked out, the security system sounds. Since the security aspect of the tag is handled as part of the check in or checkout process, it eliminates the step we currently take of having to activate or deactivate security tags as a separate step when we are checking items in or out. It is estimated that RFID security systems have 50 to 75 percent fewer “false alarms” than magnetic systems, since the human error element is almost entirely removed from the process.
- RFID enabled book returns – some libraries currently using RFID technology have book return systems that are equipped to read RFID tags. As an item is dropped into a book return, its tag is read and the item is immediately checked in and removed from the patron’s account. The more elaborate return setups then feed the returned item to a conveyor system which sorts the returned items into bins according to the item’s ultimate destination. For example, a returned novel ends up in a bin of items that are to be re-shelved in the fiction section. If the item has a patron request waiting for it, the system is aware of that fact and sorts the item into a bin of items requiring further staff attention. Like with checkouts, using RFID technology in dealing with returns cuts down on repetitive motion intensive staff work and streamlines the time it takes between the return of an item and its availability on a shelf.
I went into this session with an interest in the technology, but with no firm idea about how such a system is implemented and used. The biggest thing I took away from the panel was a greater understanding of the gain in quality staff time that libraries experience through the use of an RFID system.
Panelists acknowledged that the first thought that springs to some minds (particularly with front line library staff) when RFID or other automation technologies are first discussed is “you’re going to replace people with computers!” This idea couldn’t be further from the truth. No library (represented on this panel, at least) had cut back on staff (voluntarily or otherwise) after RFID was implemented. Some panelists did say that their consideration of RFID implementation was spurred, however, by ever decreasing staff resources. RFID allowed them to continue doing what they were doing – and expand on what they were doing – with existing staff.
With panelists reporting anywhere from 75 to 100 percent of all transactions being processed by patrons through RFID-enabled self-checkout stations, staff time is now reallocated from desk-bound circulation duties, to duties elsewhere in the library. This allows the library to shift their patron service model to one of richer patron interaction, through staff being able to more deeply interact with patrons, as well as through a wider range of service points. Rather than being stationed at a central checkout desk, staff can be scattered throughout the library space at multiple “ask” stations – service points where staff are available to help in whatever way a patron may need them, available at - or convenient to - the patron’s “point of puzzlement” – the place where a patron discovers that they may need some assistance. Where some feared that the introduction of patron self-checkout terminals would depersonalize the library experience, the experience has been, in fact, made much more personal throughout the library.
One area that benefits from the shift in focus of staff responsibilities is in programming and special events. As the deskbound checkout duties of the staff are diminished, they are more able to devote time to innovating, developing and sustaining programs and events in the library. Again, like being able to spend more time on quality patron interactions, the strengthening of programmatic offerings makes the library – and the patron’s experience – richer and more valuable.
In addition to the enrichment of the patron experience in the library, there is also an increase in employee satisfaction in their jobs. Freed from the repetitive task of checking books out, library staff are able to take on a more varied assortment of duties which generally allow for more creative thinking, more challenges and more responsibility.
The time needed to convert an existing collection to RFID varied among panelists from a few weeks to several months, depending on how the conversion was handled. The recommendation is to line up dedicated staff to undertake the conversion as a systematic process. The actual process of converting and retagging materials with RFID is relatively speedy and extremely simple, accomplished with mobile equipment either purchased or rented. One panelist stated that they were able to convert a collection of 140,000 items in just three weeks (for comparison, SPPL has just over 110,000 items between both locations). The process of converting their collection to RFID allowed them to find many long-standing cataloging errors – as well as misplaced items - in their collection.
The panelists reported that library patrons took to the new systems quite easily but said that – particularly in the beginning – much attention must be paid to publicizing the new equipment as well as promoting and training patrons in its use. In libraries which offer self-checkout as an option, rather than a requirement, they find that most patrons end up using the system as opposed to relying on staff.
The only area of RFID use that some libraries had reported having problems with was the security aspect. Some libraries have had to use both magnetic security systems along with the RFID system (specifically for multi-part items, such as CDs and DVDs) and report that such arrangements have had complications for them. *
One panelist reminded the audience that, by far, the vast majority of all loss of library material is through items being properly checked out, but never being returned - “perma-checkouts,” as she called them. Overall, the loss rate for library material is far less than is experienced by retail businesses. The loss of some materials is simply a cost of doing business.
All panelists reported great satisfaction with their RFID systems. Planning and implementation of the systems is key to their success in the library environment but, if done effectively, the library can experience any number of benefits – increased circulation, increased patron satisfaction, expanded services (including programming) and increased employee satisfaction in their jobs.
* Speaking to a 3M representative in the days following this session, I learned that the RFID technology had been improved since the libraries on the panel had instituted their systems and that the ability of RFID to handle security aspects of circulation worked much better now. Of course, this person was looking to sell me an RFID system, so I take that reassurance with a grain of salt. Needless to say, though, it is an evolving technology and the ability it has today is improved over two years ago, just as it surely will be further improved two years from now.
being held this year in Anaheim, California, from June 26 to July 2. In recent years, the conference has attracted over 7,000 exhibitors and well over 20,000 attendees. At this point, I know of approximately a dozen other librarians from around Maine who will be attending this year, including Maine Senate President (and Director of the Freeport Community Library) Beth Edmonds. There are currently over 300 programs and events scheduled and I am pouring over the schedules trying to fit in as much as possible!
