Application and current situation of RFID in libraries

Basic concepts and principles of RFID Radio frequency identification technology, also known as electronic tags, is a wireless communication technology. Automatically identify specific targets and read and write related data through wireless signals, without any manual intervention in the entire workflow.

The Library RFID system is based on RFID technology and combines computer technology, programmable controller technology, network communication and other technologies to realize library front-end service and back-end management. The system basically includes: librarian workstation system, electronic label conversion system, self-service certificate application system, self-service borrowing and returning system, self-service book return sorting system, collection inventory system, security Access Control system, intelligent navigation retrieval system and self-service library and other functions subsystem.

RFID application cases in foreign libraries

——Take Singapore as an example

The Singapore government invested 1 billion Singapore dollars to build the National Library of Singapore in 1998 and began to build an RFID system. The entire system was completed and put into use in 2002. It was the only large public library in the world that fully adopted RFID management at that time.

Every citizen in Singapore can use his or her ID Card or driver's license to borrow books from the National Library. The borrower only needs to bring the book to the self-service borrowing machine, insert his or her ID card or driver's license, and put the book on the scanning screen. It is extremely easy to complete the borrowing process.

In addition, the self-service borrowing machine also supports automatic printing of the list of borrowed books, borrowing and return dates, etc. The process of returning books is simpler, and the whole process can be summed up by the word "throw". Borrowers can choose any nearest National Library outlet to return books. They only need to go to the self-service book return system and put the books to be returned one by one to complete the return process. The system also has a display screen that can Allows borrowers to check the status of book returns.

According to the relevant person in charge of the National Library Board of Singapore, the effect of applying the RFID system is very obvious, saving tens of millions of dollars in relevant funds every year, reducing human resource costs by about 2,000 people, and at the same time, the number of borrowings has increased by nearly 2.1 times.

The biggest feature of the National Library of Singapore in applying RFID technology is that it has established a modern book sorting and logistics system in cooperation with the National Post Office of Singapore. Borrowers can borrow and return books at any outlet of the National Library, and the post office is responsible for sorting and processing the returned books every day and ensuring that they are returned to the original library within 24 hours, thus truly realizing the universal borrowing and returning of books. .

In recent years, as people pay more and more attention to RFID technology, the application of RFID technology in domestic libraries has gradually embarked on a fast track. As of the end of 2011, there are Jimei University Chengyi College, Shenzhen Municipal Library, Xiamen Children's Library, Shanghai Changning District Library, Shantou University Library, Wuhan Municipal Library, and National Library in China (mainland area). , Hangzhou Municipal Library, Deng Xiaoping Library, Tianjin Library, Sanya Municipal Library, Guangzhou Municipal Library, etc. A total of 127 libraries have completed the deployment of RFID systems. Overall, although the domestic library community started late in the research and application of RFID technology, and the scope and scale of use still lag behind other developed countries and regions, the gap in usage levels is gradually narrowing. The following is the usage of RFID equipment in a domestic library:

Conclusion

With the popularization of RFID technology, it has become an inevitable development trend for libraries to apply RFID systems to replace traditional management and anti-theft systems based on barcode technology and build an automated and intelligent new management model.

Currently, more than 5,000 libraries around the world are using RFID systems, and the number of newly introduced RFID systems is growing at a rate of 30% every year. RFID technology will also inevitably trigger huge changes in the existing management and service models of libraries, and will inevitably inject new vitality into the future development of libraries.