RFID Intelligent Library System Delivers Patron Self -Service Through New Technology

Farmington Community Libraries in Michigan, is installing the Checkpoint Systems Inc. (Thorofare, NJ) Intelligent Library System (ILS), a management system built upon radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The ILS uniquely gives libraries patron self-check-out, inventory control, circulation management, and loss-prevention; all integrated into one system.

Checkpoint's RFID technology provides intelligence to each item in a library collection. A circulation circuit, which is a paper-thin, flexible tag, contains a 96K-bit microprocessor chip and is permanently applied to each item in a library's collection. Individual item-level detail makes each item in a collection uniquely identifiable.

A main advantage of the ILS' RFID technology is its freedom from line-of-sight reading requirements. The intelligence contained on the tags is grabbed regardless of item alignment enabling patron self-checkout, as well as rapid inventory even in stacked shelves. The system has also reduced the time it takes to conduct inventory from four or five months to one day. Self-service offers patrons privacy, enhances customer relations by eliminating long checkout lines, and frees library staff to assist other customers, while offering enhanced security of the library's collection. The library's existing book return, outfitted with an ILS reader, immediately reactivates the security function and automatically updates the circulation system upon the item's return.