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The Electronic Library
RFID: the big player in the libraries of the future

Yahia Zare Mehrjerdi
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Yahia Zare Mehrjerdi, (2011),"RFID: the big player in the libraries of the future", The Electronic Library, Vol.
29 Iss 1 pp. 36 - 51
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(2007),"RFID implementation and benefits in libraries", The Electronic Library, Vol. 25 Iss 1 pp. 54-64 http://
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(2013),"RFID in libraries: a case study on implementation", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 30 Iss 5 pp. 21-26
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RFID: the big player in the

libraries of the future
36
Department of Industrial Engineering, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Yahia Zare Mehrjerdi
Received 21 December 2009

Accepted 31 December 2009 Abstract
Purpose This paper aims to propose the idea of developing an automatic Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID)-based system for library search and to examine the existing literature to
determine whether current technology and developed RFID-based systems are helpful for building
that. To fully understand its key points, adoptions, risks, and benefits, the fundamentals of radio
frequency are to be identified and reviewed. Some applications of radio frequency identification in
library systems and various industries are to be briefly discussed and four related cases
reviewed.
Design/methodology/approach The paper identifies key benefits and risks of radio frequency
identification through review of library literature and case studies. For this purpose, four cases are
reviewed from the entire industry and then key features of those cases are matched with the
requirements of the big pictures RFID-based system to determine the current level of the RFID-based
system development.
Findings To make library systems functional and successfully operational RFID solutions can be
used to reduce operating costs through decreasing the labor costs, enhancing automation, improving
tracking and tracing, and preventing the loss of materials under any circumstances.
Originality/value The proposed automated RFID-based system is a novel idea by itself. Owing to
the fact that better management of books and materials becomes possible, materials are not lost, theft
is avoided, and patrons are served on time and correctly.
Keywords Readers, Libraries, Applications, Automation, Tracking, Case studies
Paper type Research paper
The Electronic Library

Vol. 29 No. 1, 2011
pp. 36-51
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640471111111424
1. Introduction
Picture a library where each book has its own place on a particular shelf. Patrons like
to take a book off the shelf, browse it through and then put it away and take another
one and do the same until the right book is found. There are some people who put back
the book in the right place but many people either leave the books in some corner of the
library or return them to the wrong locations. This latter situation is hard to detect and
can become a librarians nightmare. Until books find their rightful homes, with limited
number of staff that a library has, days will pass and in some cases more time is
needed. When a patron needs a book for research or even leisure and needs it
immediately needed then tracking down the missing book starts the librarian gets
called in, and sometimes management hears about the case as well. In this case,
tracking and tracing is not easy and finding the book somewhere in a very large public
or university library is not a simple task. Do tagging book and materials in the library
help such situations?
The author appreciates the anonymous reviewers useful and constructive suggestions.
Curran and Porter (2007) have proposed and outlined a library prototype that
utilizes Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to enhance and speed up the current
customer book search and identification processes. The hardware used in the design
and implementation of the prototypes are a laptop to host the server, a router to create
the wireless network, a PDA to host the applications, RFID tags and an RFID reader to
carry out the RFID communication. The user can search for a book on the shelf by
entering the book information in any of the search criteria text boxes and pressing the
Search button. The system has to search the database to return the appropriate book
(Curran and Porter, 2007). The functionality and benefits offered by the RFID systems
match the needs and areas of improvement for libraries. The development and
evaluation of the library application has demonstrated that RFID can be successfully
integrated into library systems.
According to 3M, 2 per cent of libraries in the USA use RFID technology and 8 per
cent worldwide. One such library is at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada,
which has had its books tagged since at least 1991 (Gazette, 2006). Another public
library is in Shenzhen, China, which has over 500,000sq.ft and around 2 million books
tagged. Tagsys was involved in that project as well as Seattles Public Library (Curran
and Porter, 2007). With regard to the library use of RFID, Seattles RFID library project
is the largest in the world, with Shenzhens in second place. All RFID vendors in the
library market offer a product with anti-collision (the ability to read several tags
simultaneously). The actual speed at which this can be performed, and total number of
tags that can be read does vary considerably (Curran and Porter, 2007).
This article proposes an automatic RFID-based system for library search and
examines the existing literature to determine whether current technology and the
developed RFID-based systems are unique to help in building such a system. The rest
of this article is organized as follow. Section 2 describes the active verses passive tags.
Section 3 discusses RFID frequencies and the costs. Section 4 is about the RFID use in
library. Section 5 discusses the risks in relation to its usage in library. Section 6
discusses some ideas about the RFID benefits in libraries. Section 7 presents the
automatic RFID-based system for library search, which is named the Big picture
RFID-based system. In section 8, four cases along with their RFID-based systems are
reviewed where each can be used to develop a portion of the proposed Big-picture
RFID-based system. Section 9 is devoted to the research findings and
recommendations. Management implementation is described in section 10. The
authors conclusion is given in section 11.
2. RFID: active and passive tags
Radio frequency identification is a term used for technologies utilizing radio waves for
identifying individual items automatically. The most common way is storing a serial
number identifying a product and related information on a microchip attached to an
antenna. RFID is used very similar to bar codes. It is designed to track items without
requiring a line of sight. To read a bar code its lines had to stay in sight of the scanner
to identify product correctly. Radio Frequency Identification is a location
determination technology that has been receiving a lot of commercial attention in
recent times, especially in the areas of asset tracking and supply chain management.
RFID is not a new phenomenon. It has been around for decades. It was used initially
for proximity access control. Thereafter, it was evolved-to-be-used in supply chain
RFID: the big

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tracking, toll barrier control, and even protecting automobiles (Potter, 2005). There are
four types of tags in industry:
(1) Passive.
(2) Active.
(3) Semi passive.
(4) Semi active[1,2].
In a market study conducted by Venture Development Corporation in August 2004, it

was found that Active RFID systems have a series of valuable characteristics including:
.
enhanced dependability because of high performance;
.
enhanced security/access control including theft reduction;
.
the ability to link tags together in software for custodianship;
.
the ability to automate identification and location by removing human
intervention;
.
improved data integrity because of accuracy and reliability;
.
improved read accuracy and longer read ranges; and
.
increased data transfer rate.
Passive tags get their energy from a remote RFID reader. An active tag uses a battery
for both the chip and the transmission of data on the antenna. Semi-passive tags use a
small onboard battery to power the chip. Semi-active tags use the battery for powering
the antenna but the chip relies on the Radio Frequency (RF) energy from the reader
(Potter, 2005). The life of active tags are limited while of passive tags are unlimited.
Active tags are heavier than the passive tags and more costly as well. Table I identifies
differences between active and passive RFID tags.
3. RFID frequencies and costs
RFID is a method for sending and receiving data without any contacts occurs between
the interrogators and tags using electromagnetic waves (Card Technology Today,
2004). RFID tags can hold more information than data carrier systems such as bar code
system. RFID systems work at a number of different frequencies including 125KHz,
Table I.
Differences between
active and passive tags
Issues
Active RFID tags
Passive RFID tags
Power sources
Power availability
Communication range
Data storage
Signal strength from tag to reader
Signal strength from reader to tag
Weight
Capabilities
Operational life
Memory
Cost
Internal
Continuous
Long range
Large
High
Low
120-130 grams
Read/write
Five to ten years
2mB
$100
Energy transferred from the reader

When it is in the field of the reader
Short range
Small
Low
High
6-54 grams
Read only
Unlimited
Up to 16kB
$0.40-10
13.56 MHz, 2.45 GHz and 5.8 GHz and for UHF 860-950 MHz. Low frequency tags work
along 120KHz-140KHz frequencies while high frequency tags work along the
13.56 MHz radio frequencies. Ultra high frequency (UHF) tags work along the
850-900 MHz range. Low frequency tags are less expensive and use less power
compared to other kinds of tags, though high and ultra high tags have better ranges
and transfer data faster. However, these two types of tags use more power and are
more expensive. Table I summarizes the areas of application of various chips for
different frequencies (Card Technology Today, 2004). Knowing that producers target
specific industries once begin to produce a tag and try to expand to other areas as well
it is important to know the producers and users at the same time.
The RFID reader acts as a transmitter/receiver. The reader transmits an
electromagnetic field that wakes-up the tag and provides the power required for the
tag to operate. RFID readers usually cost around $1,000-2,000. The tag cost can be
broken down into the following components:
.
chip;
.
inlay/substance with antenna;
.
assembly; and
.
licensing.
RFID: the big

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39
Chips cost is about $0.25 to $0.35 while inlay cost ranges from $0.02 to $0.10 and
assembly from 0.02 to 0.04. In comparison with the price of one chip being estimated to
reach $0.05 in year 2004 it is still very high (Chao et al., 2007). The cost of RFID tags by
frequencies is given in Table II. There exist few ways in helping to reduce costs
significantly:
.
utilization of a universal RFID chip that can be used for many applications;
.
capable of handling multiple applications;
.
reducing the cost of packaging antenna to the chip; and
.
automatic handling versus manual.
4. RFID use in libraries
There are voices on the side of the use of RFID in the libraries as well as not using it.
Arguments presented in favor of RFID implementation in libraries by Chachra and
McPherson (2003) are that:
Frequencies
Tags application areas
125-134 KHz
13.56 MHz
433.05-434.79 MHz
The USA, Canada, Japan, Europe

In most of the USA and Europe and under
consideration in Japan
Europe
South Korea
The USA
Japan (for passive tag after 2005)
865-868 MHz
866-869 and 923-969 MHz
902-928 MHz
952-954 MHz
2,400-2,500 and 5.725-5.875 GHz
Table II.
Tag frequencies used by
different countries
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.
.
.
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libraries use passive tags instead of active tags;

tags used in libraries have a very short read range;
the data stored on the library RFID tag does not reveal any important
information; and
the real threat comes from vulnerabilities in the librarys database.
There are others who have concerns about the use of RFID in the libraries of the future.
David Dorman (2003) refers to concerns about RFIDs as a hullabaloo. Librarians
should keep in mind that since the many of the integrated library systems and RFID
vendors have a vested interest in promoting the use of RFIDs for increased sales that
will assist their companys profitability, so it is natural that they will minimize the
security concerns. Some RFID vendors are responding to the security criticisms and
are now offering a next generation of RFID labels that reportedly have improved
security features than those labels previously available (Wray, 2006).
Management of an organization must determine whether adopting RFID will be
beneficial to its firm or one of its subsidiaries or its processing units or not.
Performance metrics should be aligned with the firms objectives and reflect such
topics as improved cash-to-cash cycles, leaner inventories, reduced stock outs, and
more accurate data (Spekman and Sweeny, 2006).
5. RFID risks in library
To implement RFID, gaining management commitment is a big challenge. Here,
management looks into the Return On Investment (ROI) to assess RFID investment
before commits to its implementation. A challenge that companies face with is the high
cost of implementation. To justify the adoption of RFID technology into business,
cost-benefit analysis is a must. The key risks factors relate to the library of the future
having RFID-based system with the identified capabilities are discussed in the
following.
Initial cost
The cost is one of the major factors influencing acceptance of RFID, although the
production costs of RFID have reduced and Alien Technology has cut the tag price to
less than $US0.20 (Collins, 2004). At present, the costs of RFID adoption comprise the
major investment in hardware, application software, middleware, and tags, and the
cost of integrating the RFID-based system with the legacy systems, of consultancy
fees, and of employee training. Therefore, the cost of RFID tags may continue to
present a major hurdle for RFID deployment.
IT infrastructure cost
Another cost of RFID adoption for many companies is the major investment in large
scale IT infrastructure. Other costs for RFID adoption may be significant, including the
purchase of initial hardware/software, integrating RF-enabled technology into
distribution and warehousing activities and existing management systems, and
additional maintenance costs for application upgrades, readers and software, and
employee training (Smith, 2005). A library with over 200,000 collections must have
sufficient funds to invest in the purchase of tags alone although, the costs for the
reader, peripheral equipment and application software will be even more of the
problem. With the economic crisis in most cities and countries around the world it is
most likely that a great number of public libraries cannot own an independent and full
RFID-based system soon.
Skilled RFID workers

A survey conducted by the Computing Technology Industry Association revealed that
80 per cent of the responding companies said that there are not sufficient numbers of
skilled RFID workers. About two-thirds of respondents pointed out that training their
employees to become proficient in RFID is the biggest challenge they faced in order to
succeed in the RFID market. Hence, gaining management commitment in
implementing RFID will be a big issue considering this formidable hurdle.
Access rate
There are many factors that can influence the read/write efficiency of RFID. Some of
those are: metal, mist, distance, and incorrect positioning of antennas. A point, well
deserved, is that when the distances among the tags are very close, interference
between them may be made or erroneous access may occur. For example, if one patron
is taking books to initiate the loan process under self-check in/out equipment (RFID
reader), and another patron is standing too close to the first patron, the reader doing the
self check in/out may detect the tags of books which are held by the wrong patron.
Libraries that emphasize patron services might not be able to sustain such check in/out
errors. It is noticed that even with extremely strict requirements for baggage
identification in airports the identification rate is still not at 100 per cent (Gilbert, 2004).
Patron privacy
A big concern is the invasion of privacy due to the use of RFID that has been a major
issue fueling the opposition from consumer protection organizations (Jones et al.,
2004a). Privacy advocates are concerned about tracking customers (Ferguson, 2006;
Boulard, 2005;) while other researchers such as Butters (2007) talk about the RFID
standards and privacy. Some patrons will be opposed to any RFID related system due
to the perceived privacy issues surrounding it. All patron activities such as reading,
browsing, and action behavior will be detected by readers which are installed in
libraries. But library book tags will not contain any customer information and most
implementations will be using passive read only tags that can only be read from small
distances.
Data security
The biggest issue that must be taken into consideration when a new technology is
addressed and employed is the level of the security that it may provide or needs in
order to keep organizational data at the safe level. Hence, organization data security
policies must be examined to ensure that security of customer data are not
compromised at any price.
Barcode factor
Barcodes, very popular around the world, for virtually any product, are also employed
by both library systems, and book publishers. Therefore, the popularity of barcodes is
an issue since almost all book retailers around the world are set up with the bar coding
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system. Between 5-10 trillion bar codes are printed every year, and approximately 5
billion bar code scans occur every day (IDTechEx, 2006a, b; Wyld, 2006). Bar codes are
inexpensive, standardized, and, in some cases, are already achieving a satisfactory
performance level. Although the popularity of bar codes is not believed to be a
deterrent per se, their popularity has not helped spread larger-scale RFID deployment
(Smith, 2005). Taking these key issues into consideration, we will notice barcode factor
is a big player in the spread of the RFID.
Patron issues
There may be some patrons that refuse to accept the new RFID-based system at first.
Some patrons might be unfamiliar or unwilling to use any new technology for not
putting their own or family security and privacy at risk. Therefore it may become
necessary to have someone at the library to have free lectures for them or give away
brochures on the topic to patrons discussing the issues. However, it must be mentioned
that RFID patron cards open many opportunities for offering a wealth of information
about individuals. Security based on obscurity, and proprietary protocols, are not
enough (Molnar and Wagner, 2004). This may become an even greater problem if there
is convergence in the protocols and technology that will allow all these systems to
readily talk to one another (Tien, 2005).
6. RFID benefits in library
RFID-based systems include many benefits that surpass their disadvantages and risks.
In the following sections some of these benefits are briefly discussed.
Information management
Barcodes, book cards, and magnetic strips can all be integrated into one RFID tag
(Chachra, 2003). With a suitable RFID tag that has memory for recording information
and then supplying it to the system, bibliographical records and circulation status can
be stored on that. This system is capable of locating the location of material in the
library when it is necessary to be located. 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 (Yu, 2007)
Circulation
With the use of RFID-based system efficient operation of library and circulation
begins. It brings the opportunity of not scanning barcodes one by one at all. Having
RFID readers by the librarians sides they can check in/out books in a short time and
continuously. The verification of materials and controlling the entrance guard for not
taking out materials by someone without checking is easy and highly manageable.
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 loaned materials, overdue books,
reserve materials, and other circulation status on the monitor about this patron.
Librarians depend on these messages to provide service (Yu, 2007).
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. Libraries can use RFID to replace barcodes and obtain
several advantages (Kern, 2004):
.
reduce queues at the front desk;
.
decrease repeatable tasks;
.
increase interaction with patrons;
.
extend internal security;
.
lower the cost of manipulating and managing collections;
.
procure collections, checking and accepting automation; and
.
raise the efficiency of inventory and arrangement.
Assistance in searching and orientation
The application of RFID in industrial circles provides material flow management
similar to library circulation (Bhuptani and Moradpour, 2005). A library automation
system can only query about check in/out situations. But, it is not possible for that to
determine where it is if it is not at the right place in the shelf. When, as a part of the
RFID-based system, a reader is installed on each gate in the library, once a patron takes
a book or other item and enters another room, the system will detect who took it and
where it was left. Then, this information will be passed to the automation system to
record the position of the material.
Data accuracy and reliability
The effective deployment of RFID has a potential to quickly provide accurate and
reliable data that exceeds the bar coding or manual capabilities available today. This
can have a major impact, particularly in busy libraries such as university libraries and
public libraries in populated areas.
Theft prevention
For those public and university libraries that are in search of technology to keep away
theft from the library by not allowing them to take materials without check in them
RFID is the answer. As a tool, RFID is a good technology for providing added security
to the library system. There are various options on how to implement this including
security gates at the entrance and exit points.
Utilization statistics for serials
There is not a proper and accurate method for calculating the reading rates of
magazines that are placed on the periodical racks in the library. Often, many
periodicals are not used at all and some are used far more than expected. General
library systems cannot record when periodicals are used in open shelves and read in
the libraries. Usually, a patrons response to the designed questionnaires is not very
accurate. However, utilizing the detection scope of RFID, it is possible to determine the
location of such materials from the periodical rack and the readers. If readers remain
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undetected on one tag for a while, this shows that the magazine was taken off the shelf
and is being read.
7. The big picture RFID-based system
The functionality and benefits offered by the RFID systems match the needs of library
systems and the improvements to be made in other situations. The development and
evaluation of the library applications demonstrated that RFID could successfully be
integrated into library systems. However, no single solution can maximize the value of
RFID but rather a combination of technology needs to be taken into consideration to
make the system functional, useful, and manageable. To obtain a necessary level of
visibility, tags need to be read at many points in the system.
The library of the not too distant future will be very different with what we have
today. It will work with a combination of computer hardware/software, RFID
technology, robots, conveyor belts, computer experts, and few librarians. Already
many of these technologies and systems are in place in some libraries. This is a big
picture of the RFID-based system for large libraries where a combination of
technologies is used for wisely managing situations better and more efficiently. RFID
is used to do one or more of the following important tasks, as they are necessary:
.
read tags instead of bar codes;
.
determine the location of materials in the library;
.
trace of the materials;
.
finding whether journals and newspapers are at their place or in use;
.
identify the patron in the library and serve them if it is necessary;
.
check in/out materials;
.
manage the inventory of books and materials;
.
quick identification of lost materials on a hourly/daily basis;
.
online data collection and utilization;
.
prevent from losing its materials through theft or other forms of possible loss;
.
use robots to take books off the shelf for patron or librarian; and
.
use conveyor belt to send book down the line from the shelf to patron or
circulation desk.
A good material-handling system (MHS) as it is used in large warehouses can be
tremendously helpful in the research and university libraries. Since the use of MHS can
be quite expensive for large libraries it is possible to set-up such systems in a portion of
the library having large demands on the hourly and daily basis. Using RFID-based
systems, it is possible to determine where the material is currently located and then by
the help of robots the materials can be brought to the conveyor belt and routed easily to
the patron or circulation desk. This is quite possible with the aid of the current
technology if the working system at the library is an RFID-based system.
8. Case studies
If RFID is to achieve the level of adoption that has been forecast, it is important to
understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology as it evolves, its
application areas, and various types of its applications. In this section, four newly
developed RFID-based systems are reviewed. Although, these RFID-based systems are
each developed for a purpose other than the library use these research results can be
employed for building the RFID-based system of the big-picture described in section 7.
Each of these systems has some capabilities necessary for building this library of the
future. Case 1 describes the concept of traceability of highly important for the
management of library. Case 2 is about the RFID-based system with data collection
capability while case 3 discusses an automated RFID-based service system developed
for running a restaurant with the aid of a conveyor belt. Case 4 discusses the Bluebot
tracking via robotic system.
Case 1 (traceability)
RFID technology has several advantages in handling enterprises as well as service
organizations. One of its benefits is product traceability. If a product can be tracked
and traced, then obviously the product recall, history analysis, and consumer visibility
can be improved and enhanced. However, few studies have introduced various
methodologies to provide the full traceability of products (Lee and Park, 2008). In a
research conducted by Lee and Park (2008) a novel dynamic tracing task model to
enhance the traceability range along the supply chain beyond simple distribution
channels is proposed. Researchers found that existing RFID data management scheme
has to be modified so as to provide end-to-end traceability. To that end they have
considered two critical characteristics for RFID data namely:
(1) Dynamic.
(2) Procedural.
The dynamic characteristic means that data changes over time but it imposes the
concept of the item being merged with other subparts and being divided into
several components through the production process. While, in procedural case items
will leave a trail of data as they pass through several different locations. As an
object is equipped with a tag, when it passes by the vicinity of a reader it will send
information messages to the interrogator. This process will make the identification
of a tag for the reader at every location creating a consistent path of the object (Lee
and Park, 2008).
Case 2: RFID-based system with data collection capability
A new paradigm of knowledge management called real time enterprise (RTE) is based
on the premise of getting the right information to the right people at the right time in
real time without being late and without delay. The system architecture of Logistic
Process knowledge Based System (LPKBS) is a server based system which offers a
knowledge sharing platform working in a logistics operations environment. The
system architecture of LPKBS comprises five modules (Chow et al., 2007):
(1) Logistic data collection (RFID and Palm).
(2) Data storage (data warehouse).
(3) Process knowledge management (which comprises process monitoring agent,
process rule manipulating agent and process knowledge retrieval agent).
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(4) Knowledge repository (which comprises process repository, process logic

repository, and process knowledge repository).
(5) User interface (Palm and PC).
One drawback of open-shelf libraries is that materials are easy to put on the wrong
shelf or to be unaccounted for. Library automation systems can only query once
about check in/out situations, but not where material is if it is not on the correct shelf
(Yu, 2007). By putting a reader on each gate in the library, the system is able to
collect data to inform management about situations and the places that materials are
located. For instance, as soon as a patron removes one book from a shelf and enters
another room, the system will detect who took it and where it is already about. Then,
this information will be passed to the automation system to record the position of this
material. It is important to note that the application of RFID in industrial circles
(Bhuptani and Moradpour, 2005) provides material flow management similar to
library circulation.
Case 3: RFID-based service system
Ngai et al. (2007) have described the design and development of an RFID-based sushi
management system in a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant to enhance operational
efficiency. The system is designed to help the restaurant achieve better inventory
control, responsive replenishment, and food safety control, and to improve its quality
of service. With regard to application and technological perspective the following
summary can be provided:
(1) Application perspective:
.
tracking the availability of sushi on the belt; and
.
providing useful food content information to diners.
(2) Technological perspective:
.
proven technology adopted in food industry;
.
responsive multiple tag real-time read/write capabilities;
.
long read range without specified sight requirement; and
.
normal functioning even in a restaurant with dimmed lighting or harsh
environment.
The study demonstrates the significance and benefits of using RFID technology in the
food industry, and the lessons that are learned from this effort should help the
academic and practical literature further on the subject, especially in the area of RFID
systems development.
Case 4: Bluebot tracking via robotic system
RFID technology alone lacks the capability of tracking the location of items once they
are moved within a facility (Patil et al., 2008). Patil and his research team presented a
prototype automatic location sensing system that employs a robot, with an attached
RFID reader, which periodically surveys the space and associating the items it
detects with its own location determined with the Wi-Fi positioning system. They
have proposed three algorithms that combine the detected tags reading with
previous samples to refine its location. The resulting experiments have shown that
the positioning algorithms can bring a twofold improvement over the positional
accuracy limitations in both the RFID reader and the positioning technology.
Patils prototype system combines (passive) RFID technology and a Wi-Fi
(802.11b)-based continuous location positioning system to provide a periodic
asset-locating sweep. Although, the proposed system uses Wi-Fi based location
positioning, it works with any continuous positioning technology, however. The
prototype system not only identifies but also provides location information of every
RFID-tagged item in the sweep space. As the robot moves, the RF-reader periodically
samples which tags are detectable. At each sample time, the robots position is
obtained from the positioning system. For each detected tag, given the estimate of the
robots current position, knowledge of the readers physical detection range, and the
robots position estimates at previous detections, an algorithm computes an estimate of
the tags position. The results of Patils experiments with the prototype system show
that they are able to estimate positions of tagged entities to within 1.5m, given an
accuracy of the raw positioning system of about 4m. They experimented with different
position estimation algorithms and found that certain algorithms work better than
others when the raw positioning system is capable of giving better accuracy (Patil et al.,
2008).
RFID: the big

player
47
9. Discussion of findings and recommendations

The reading of the materials and review of currently available research on the
RFID-based systems help us to believe that the development of a fully automated
system with RFID-based technology and capabilities to trace materials in the library,
pinpointing a patron with critical service in the library, check in/out of materials, and
automatic handling of books from shelves to patrons or circulation desks is a
possibility. Design and implementation of such system is costly but it is efficient and
a cost saver in the long run. Table III lists the four cases used in this study along
with information helping to understand each case study individually and hence all
together.
The library of the future will employ an RFID-based system that has all the
capabilities built in, as exemplified by a combination of the systems discussed in the
The big picture RFID-based
system requirements
Case 1
Tag reading
Traceability
Automation
Conveyor-belt
Check-in/out
Patron-identification
Online data-collect
Police watch
Inventory management
Quick search
Case 2
Tag reading Logistic data

Traceability collection (RFID and
function
Palm)
Data storage (data
warehouse)
Interfaces (Palm and
PC)
Process knowledge
management
Knowledge repository
Case 3
Case 4
Tag reading
Conveyor belt
Automatic
handling of
foods
Automatic
service
Check-in/out
Bill preparation
Wireless
system
Tracking
Robot
Wi-Fi
positioning
system
RFID-reader
Automatic
location
sensing
Table III.
Listing of RFID-based
systems capabilities
EL
29,1
48
previous cases 1 through 4. In addition to that it must include a dynamic automated

moving robot that can go in search of materials somewhere in the shelves in the limited
surrounding that it has authority to work.
10. Management implementation
RFID is a flexible technology and has many attractive attributes that can be integrated
into different systems. It can uniquely identify any object on which a tag is attached. The
tag can be read in any orientation. The reader does not require line of sight for each tag
and can be read through most materials (Curran and Porter, 2007). However, the type of
RFID-based system described here is fully applicable in libraries that serve blind and
partially disabled patrons. The capability of the RFID-based system described
previously allows patrons to manage a portion of their own needs without the help of
librarian or assistance. However, having a robot as a part of the system would help to
find materials for groups of patrons that might be the only users of such libraries (for
example, in a school for blind or partially disabled students). RFID-based systems can be
integrated into existing library systems to improve the efficiency of the main processes
carried out in any library and increase the quality of services to be provided. The ability
of RFID to uniquely identify every item is very suitable for libraries.
An RFID-based library system would bring with itself many properties as are listed
in the following:
.
speed up the finding of books;
.
improve the stock control of the library;
.
ability to track down misplaced books;
.
increase the security;
.
bring convenience to library system;
.
aides disabled students, e.g. blind/partially blind;
.
ability to self-checkout and return books without the need for human interference;
.
improves library workflow;
.
increase staff productivity;
.
enhance customer service; and
.
improve process efficiency.
11. Conclusion
Automatic identification and data collection (AIDC) had made large contributions to
the bottom line of many organizations. Radio Frequency Identification is one of the
most demanded and employed technologies in large successful enterprises such as
Wal-Mart, Dell, automobile part makers, airlines, supermarkets, computer stores,
bookshops and so on with the hope that operating costs will decrease and products will
get more accurate in both data collection and reporting. More organizations from
manufacturers to government agencies, retailers to healthcare providers are
introducing RFID technologies into their supply chains, for asset tracking and on
time management, and for the security and regulatory purposes. However, as
companies explore these significant advantages through pilot programs the impacts of
RFID technologies on the company wide network must be considered.
The types of operations that can be done by RFID technology and the benefits
offered by that match the needs of libraries and the areas of improvement that
management have in mind. RFID technology can help in streamlining major library
processes such as stocktaking and book searches. Library employees as well as
patrons share the same convenience and ease of operations. However, patrons can face
risks in libraries with RFID systems unless the rules protecting patrons are changed
and stronger one replaced them. Currently, only about 8 percent of libraries world-wide
are using RFID, but this figure will soon rapidly increases as libraries understand the
benefits and convenience of incorporating RFID into their processes.
As already noted, the library of the future is going to be different from what we
have today. It will be partly made possible with the aid of already existing technologies
(discussed in the previous case studies) plus RFID-based systems. As a continuation of
the ideas outlined in this paper, the author is working with a group of experts from
various fields to make such a prototype RFID-based system with just such additional
technological capabilities a reality for libraries.
Notes
1. What is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)?, available at: www.aimglobal.org/
technologies/rfid/what_is_rfid.asp/
2. Part 1: Active and Passive RFID: Two Distinct, But Complementary, Technologies for
Real-Time Supply Chain Visibility, available at: www.autoid.org/2002_Documents/sc31_
wg4/docs_501_520/520_18000_ 7_WhitePaper.pdf/
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rfidjournal.com/article/ articleview/2696/
About the authors

Yahia Zare Mehrjerdi is Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Yazd
University. He joined Yazd University in the Fall of 2005 after 17 years in industry with financial
institutions such as Mass-Mutual and the Hartford Life in USA. He has a BS in Mathematics, an
MS in Operations Research, and a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management from
Oklahoma State University. He has published over 45 articles in international conferences and
scientific journals. His articles are published by European Journal of Operational Research,
International Journal of Assembly Automation, Performance Measurements and Metrics, and
International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management (forthcoming). His research interests
apply to Supply Chain Management, Simulation-Optimization, Multi-Criterion Decision Making,
Dynamic Systems, and RFID Technology. Yahia Zare Mehrjerdi can be contacted at:
yazm2000@yahoo.com
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