RFID and Libraries

Is RFID really useful in libraries?

I am willing to whole-heartedly acknowledge that the RFID would be extremely useful for libraries. Whenever patrons misplace items they have barrowed and are unable to find them, this piece of technology can help librarians locate their possessions. The only way the item can be officially declared as lost is if it gets destroyed and/or the equipment has been removed, which also means there is no guarantee of tracking someone who committed a theft. The situation can be just as frustrating when items are lost within the library, which those who have experiences in shelf-reading (such as myself) often witness. Most patrons have tendencies to place the books they glanced through briefly into random places amongst the shelves. I would have believed they have trouble comprehending the Dewey Decimal System had it not been for the fact that they can make quite a mess in the fiction section as well. Sometimes the more considerate patrons can also be a burden. There are occasions when those people believe that they are saving the staff some trouble by putting a book they borrowed for a while right back into the original location, without handing it to the front desk. However, this only does the opposite. Because the system will claim that the book was never returned, the patrons end up being penalized. Through the use of RFID, it can certainly relieve so much hassle in terms of helping staff members within libraries search for books.

Are privacy concerns about RFID in library a real concern?

There is no argument that the issue of privacy should spring up into people’s minds concerning the utilization of RFID. I am sure it is disturbing enough for patrons that the computer systems in the libraries are keeping track of their identities and where they live, since they must provide such information for validation purposes when applying to receive their library cards. Because the database also contains all the items each individual has ever borrowed, technically speaking information about their personalities is also being documented. By throwing the RFID ingredient into the mix, the recipe is becoming slightly more disastrous, now that the library is able to track the patrons down wherever they ago, assuming they always carry the borrowed items with them. If the government wanted to spy on us, then I am sure the public officials will turn to more places than the local libraries to do their dirty work, with more than just RFID. The biggest concern, or at least in my opinion, about RFID in libraries is how the staff is going to handle the situation. Because the items from the library can be detected with more ease, there is always the possibility of a certain member being able to use the technology for stalking the patrons with greater efficiency. It is bad enough they can easily find out where the potential victims live.

How to make RFID a better technology for libraries?

The best way RFID can be a better service to libraries is if the staff members are required to follow a strict set of guidelines on how to use the technology. There is as much of a guarantee that those within the library system will respect those rules as they already do for whatever guidelines are in use concerning the use of technologies currently available. If that library is capable of wielding those equipments with responsibility, then it is safe to say that adding one more should not be much a problem. There is the issue of figuring out how it works and how to use it, but other than that, the staff members should be able to have a good grasp around it like everything else they had to acquire. It is just one more protocol to memorize. If I was to decide under what condition to use RFID after the implementation, then I would strongly suggest that the staff consider such an option when a situation gets a little out of control. As I have mentioned before, when patrons admit they have misplaced what they borrowed and cannot find them, or the items are probably jumbled up someplace random within the library, only then should RFID be put into consideration.