The technology used when you borrow books from the library
In my last blog post I briefly described RFID technology. In this blog post I will give one implementation example as seen in the TU Delft library.
The books in the library have a paper thin passive RFID tag attached to the backcover. This tag contains information related to the book, mostly in the form of a unique identification number. When you want to borrow a book, you can use one of the self checkin/checkout stations. You need to place the campus card (if student or employee of TU Delft) or library membership card on the card reader to identify yourself. On placing one or several books on the self checkin station, the RFID tag is read by the reader. Placing multiple books on top of each other should be avoided as the reader may not be able to identify individual books due to tag collision. The reader communicates with a server to inform that one or several books have been checked-in by the identified visitor and this information is stored in the database. When you return (checkout) the books to the library, a similar sequence of events take place. If you require assistance, the librarian at the service desk can help you by using the checkin/checkout station available at the service desk. While leaving the library, you pass through exit sensors (another reader with a longer detection range than checkin/checkout stations) which verifies if the book has been checked-in. If the book has not been checked-in, an alarm is triggered.
Normally you will be exposed to RFID technology in the above mentioned form. Sometimes, the RFID tag attached to the book may not have the right information or a new book may have arrived. In such a scenario a conversion station behind the service desk is used by the librarian to write the required information on a new tag and attach it to the book. RFID technology also makes it easier for the librarians to search for individual books requested from the depot and for inventory checks.
Comments are closed.