Introduction

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is no longer quite the latest thing on the block – at least as far as libraries are concerned. However, although RFID is being adopted by libraries around the world at a very rapid rate, it is a dynamic technology whose future development is impossible to predict.

For the manager considering RFID, whether as a solution to a library's problems or as an opportunity to rethink service delivery, this presents both an opportunity and a challenge – the technology appears to provide a number of benefits (why else would there be such a rush to install it?), but it takes so many different forms that it is difficult to discern which may prove to be the Betamax versions – technologically sound but commercial failures – five years down the line, resulting in a potentially distressing waste of time and money.

The simple fact is that – for any library management that is only slightly risk averse – RFID is still not the path to take. There are so many imponderables – choice of system, choice of frequency, choice of tag, tag deployment method, and much more – that anybody looking for a futureproofed investment is going to be disappointed and should postpone their decision for a while.

Consequently, this book does not claim to offer a guide to choosing the definitive RFID system, nor does it go very deeply into the technology itself. It does, however, outline the main elements to be considered when choosing a system, both for RFID and for existing procedures and practices. By providing a general introduction to the topic, describing the different approaches that have been taken to using RFID in libraries and outlining the pros and cons of each, it outlines the benefits that can result from RFID adoption, illustrating why – despite the possible problems – it has proved to be so popular with so many libraries in such a short time, and explores its potential for application to other aspects of library work in the future.

The essential aims of this book, then, are to help library managers decide whether RFID has anything to offer them and – if so – how to make the most of the benefits while mitigating the risks inherent in adopting this rapidly developing technology.