RFID

Information management

Barcodes, book cards, and magnetic strips can all be integrated into one RFID tag (Chachra, 2003). This type of RFID tag provides memory to record information and to supply the system. The memory not only stores bibliographic records and circulation status, but the system also traces the location of the specific collection material. Depending on this service, the system can offer assistance in tracing service when looking for particular material in libraries.

Circulation

RFID systems provide efficient operation processing. Librarians do not need to scan barcodes one by one. Patrons can simultaneously process check in/out, verification, and entrance guard control with RFID reader equipment. Videotapes and diskettes are unable to use magnetic strips to enforce entrance guard because demagnetization will destroy the data on the material. Because RFID tags do not use demagnetization to modify data, they can use tags to manage magnetic materials the same as the books.

Library cards will include RFID tags. Readers will detect and fetch information from library cards when patrons enter a library, and it will be transmitted to a backend system process. After that, the front desk shows loans, overdues, reserves, and other circulation status on the monitor about this patron. Librarians depend on these messages to provide service.

Inventory

Batch processing can also apply to libraries to perform inventory or shelf-reading. Take hand-held readers to sweep shelves, for instance – readers can immediately detect all of the collection within this range, including abnormal situations such as books put on the wrong shelf.