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5856 results in Facet Publishing

Page 243 of 293

  • 13 - RFID, libraries and the future

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 131-136

  • Summary

    The use of RFID in libraries has grown rapidly since the late 1990s, and has become a fundamental element in the design of many new major libraries around the world – from Seattle in the USA to Shenzhen in China. In some of these large libraries – Shenzhen has a stock of 2 million items, Seattle has capacity for nearly 1.5 million – this has included not only self-service but also automated stock handling. At Seattle, between 1100 and 1400 items can be dealt with per hour, returning them to the correct part of the library's ‘book spiral’, spread over four storeys.

    However, the primary focus of most current implementations remains self-service, with the supply chain applications commonly found in other industries being adopted only in those countries where a centralized process is already in place. While frustrating to some observers, anxious to see the full benefits of RFID being exploited by libraries, it is perhaps understandable that library managers have concentrated on the ‘quick win’ that self-service provides. It is also possible to argue that, to some extent, libraries’ use of only a limited element of this technology's potential is no different from that of software generally.

    According to the widely quoted statistics researched by the Standish Group (Johnson, 2002), only 20% of the features in enterprise software are ever used, with 19% rarely used and 45% never used. This may be partly a reflection of the trend towards software ‘bloat’, but also aligns with the familiar findings of Pareto's principle, with 80% of effects attributable to only 20% of causes.

    More importantly, there are some aspects of RFID that, once taken for granted, are now being questioned. A statistic often quoted in the early days of library RFID was that tags would be able to achieve at least 100,000 cycles (or 50,000 loan and 50,000 return transactions) and so would easily outlast the items to which they were attached. More recently, however, 3M has suggested that not all tags are created equal, with some becoming inactive within a very short time, due to environmental effects (mainly heat) or simply the use of lower quality materials in construction (3M Library Systems, 2007).

  • 6 - RFID and health and safety

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 61-64

  • Summary

    Is RFID is safe? How can you tell? What laws and standards are there?

    RFID – what are the safety concerns?

    While concerns about privacy may not be universally held it might be expected that the health and safety implications of RFID would be an area of common interest to all potential users.

    This is certainly true, albeit at a fairly specific level. Understandably, any technology which exposes its users to an additional source of electromagnetic radiation, which is the basis of RFID – even at very low levels – is likely to be the subject of a certain amount of legislation and regulation. Anxiety over prolonged use of mobile phones, for example, which also produce electromagnetic radiation, has shown that – despite regulation – there are many members of the public who remain unconvinced of the safety of prolonged use of such devices.

    RFID and health and safety law

    The legal position, in Europe at least, is in a transitional phase. The European Union published its Physical Agents (Electromagnetic Fields) Directive (2004/40/EC) in April 2004, at which point it came into force but with a target date of 30 April 2008 for completion of implementation by all Member States. However, this date was amended to 2012 in light of further research which suggested that some procedures in the medical field might exceed the directive's recommendations. Further research is now being undertaken so that any necessary amendments can be introduced before the 2012 deadline.

    Nevertheless, the main areas of concern of the legislation are clear from the original directive, and relate to the possible risks of the exposure of workers to electromagnetic fields – primarily from short-term exposure to induced currents, energy absorption and contact currents. It outlines the minimum requirements necessary to address potential problems arising from these elements, but does not attempt to cover possible longer-term problems.

    The limits to exposure that the directive stipulates are based on work carried out previously by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) (see www.icnirp.org), an independent organization that has done extensive research in this field.

    However, it should be noted that this is the European position only, and that the legal situation will be different around the world. While many governments use the ICNIRP work as a basis for legislation, the ways in which RFID is implemented internationally nevertheless vary considerably.

  • 5 - Privacy

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 51-60

  • Summary

    Worried about rumours that RFID can compromise individual privacy? Want to know how to use it safely? And – is RFID really the work of the devil?

    Interoperability and privacy

    Unfortunately, one person's interoperability may be another's invasion of privacy. By making it possible for different systems to communicate with each other, some people fear that the data sharing that may result could produce a ‘Big Brother’ scenario in which it is all too easy for individuals to be identified, resulting in government snooping, identity theft and other undesirable outcomes.

    Such a view has not – so far at least – been very widely held in the UK, or in Europe, although the European Union set up a working party and invited views on the subject in 2005 (European Commission, 2005; Commission of the European Communities, 2007); there was, however, little agreement about the extent of the problem in reality.

    This is in marked contrast to the USA – or rather some parts of it – where the use of RFID has been very controversial. In San Francisco, implementation of RFID in libraries has been – and continues to be – the subject of great public debate, while in neighbouring Berkeley it appears to have played a role in the resignation of the chief librarian, Jackie Griffin, from her post (Bender, 2006): ‘There have been complaints and protests about the library's radio frequency identification devices, a system Griffin backed and the city spent at least $1.1 million buying and installing. Many library workers have complained about the so-called “spy chips,” alleging they compromise patron privacy and deter good customer service.’

    RFID opponents

    A number of organizations have been very active in trying to alert the public to what they see as the dangers of RFID use in terms of personal liberty, particularly in the post-9/11 scenario of the USA PATRIOT Act and other restrictions on privacy. One of those with the highest profile is CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) (www.nocards.org). As is evident from its name, CASPIAN's original concerns stemmed mainly from the use of RFID in the retail world. One of its main targets has been Wal-Mart, which has been at the forefront of RFID use in retail, having mandated its top 100 suppliers to use tags.

  • 7 - RFID and library design

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 65-74

  • Summary

    How can RFID influence library layouts? Does RFID affect work areas too?

    The changing role of library buildings

    Library buildings have to accommodate a remarkable, and occasionally unreasonable, range of demand. Increasingly, this is a result of a desire for them to be, or be part of, multipurpose community hubs, one-stop shops, or satellite outreach facilities, aimed at audiences who might otherwise never think of going to a library, or who are unable to access the service in any other way.

    This places further pressure on the manager seeking to maximize the use of what is often already inadequate space for library stock and staff, but is only the latest in a long series of challenges facing those charged with designing library spaces.

    Godfrey Thompson's detailed and pragmatic guide to library design (1989) makes it clear that the responsibility of planning a building intended to be adaptable to all of the changes likely over the next 60 years has always been a heavy one. Sometimes, this is because of the competing requirements of the architect, wishing to produce a building that makes a ‘statement’, and of the librarian, who may sympathize with the architect's objectives but hopes that it will nevertheless still be possible to change the light bulbs without having to hire tower scaffolding.

    Such situations are not uncommon, and have been a feature of library design since the two professions began working together. However, the challenges created by changing technology and demand are currently both more pressing and fundamental. Thompson's design guide was first published in 1973, but by the time of its third edition in 1989 computerization had begun to have a significant and disruptive influence on library planning.

    The impact of computerization

    Some of this was perceived as beneficial: electronic union catalogues not only gave library users much better service – customers were no longer limited to the resources of the building they were in; they could see at a glance whether what they sought was immediately available; and if not they could instantly place a reservation – but they also did away with the need to find space to accommodate thousands of 5 x 3 cards.

Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
  • Martin Palmer
  • Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009
  • The advantage of radio frequency identification (RFID) over other technologies used in libraries is usually seen to be its ability to combine the functions of the barcode (as a unique item identifier) and the security tag (able to indicate that an item is being removed from the library without permission), but with the added advantage of not needing line of sight. The customer-friendly self service that this combination of features makes possible is at the heart of the attraction of RFID for most libraries. This practical and straightforward new book will consider the benefits of installing RFID technology; work with vendors; and how to implement the technology on the ground. It will also consider technical issues such as interoperability, metadata and standards. Applicable to all types of libraries, its contents include: current and potential application of RFID in libraries; how RFID works in library applications; standards/interoperability; privacy issues; how successful have implementations been? is RFID for you? building a business case for RFID in libraries; staffing implications; practicalities: choosing a system, staff development, process re-engineering; ensuring return on investment; and, RFID and libraries - the future? Written by an expert in the field, it will be a very worthwhile investment for those considering converting to RFID as well as those who are implementing it already.

  • 9 - Staffing: savings, redeployment or something else?

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 87-92

  • Summary

    If your staff aren't going to be stamping books, what will they be doing? How many of them will you need?

    RFID and staffing efficiencies

    One of the main reasons for the popularity of RFID in libraries, as we have seen, has been the popularity of the self-service systems it can provide, resulting in high levels of take-up by the public, and the consequent freeing of staff from routine counter procedures.

    As staffing tends to account for the largest single element of most libraries’ expenditure, this understandably leads to questions about whether financial savings can be made as a result of this reduction in workload. Different library services have responded to these questions in different ways, reflecting their circumstances and the underlying aims of their business cases. Nevertheless, this topic is usually at the heart of most RFID deployments, with some library services taking 100% of the savings available to them to meet budgetary pressures or efficiency drives, others retaining all the staff time freed and using it for other purposes, or a combination of the two, offering an improvement to the customer but still saving money.

    For example, in the UK the approach taken by Essex County Council's Libraries Department when building its business case to roll out RFID beyond its existing four sites was to identify the levels of saving that could be made in staff time, and then show how these could be used to achieve a mix of outcomes. It demonstrated how it could:

  • ■ meet the requirements of the UK government's Gershon agenda for efficiency in public services (a continuous reduction in budgets of 2.5% per annum)

  • ■ repay the cost of the RFID system itself, and also

  • ■ reinvest some of the savings to provide value-added services for library users.

    • How much work is being saved?

    However, although staff savings may be the key to many libraries’ business cases, identification of the precise amount of staff time to be saved in each case is not always easy, suppliers’ ready reckoners notwithstanding. Most libraries will have staffing schedules that they can analyse, and these will certainly be of help, but those library services that use a detailed staffing formula, based on observation by experienced work study practitioners, will be in a particularly good position to estimate the amount of staff time currently devoted to counter duties.

  • 4 - Standards and interoperability

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 39-50

  • Summary

    Need to know about standards? Are there any? Who produces them? What effect do they have?

    Standards, or free for all?

    One of the principal contributory factors to the rapid take-up of RFID systems in the library world has been the view – taken by vendors and buyers alike – that solutions for individual libraries or networks can be considered to be closed loops. In such a scenario, there is no need to be concerned about standards or interoperability with other libraries – let alone other organizations – as the emphasis is entirely on RFID's performance within the local context.

    This is perhaps not too surprising. It is arguable that – despite a raft of standards relating to cataloguing, indexing and other professional staples – it is only comparatively recently (since the coming of the internet?) that interoperability has been the focus of much attention in the world of library technology, with most systems being largely proprietary.

    More specifically – and crucially – the level of interoperability between different manufacturers’ LMS has been very low. Even though this has begun to change, it still remains a major concern and has long been an obstacle to joint working. One example of this (among many) is a project begun in 1999/2000, jointly funded by the UK's Department of Culture Media and Sport and the Wolfson Foundation (DCMS, 2000), which saw the creation of a public library cooperative organization in the east of England, called CO-EAST, whose primary remit included the provision of unmediated interlibrary loans between the 14 authorities in the region, allowing the customers of one library service to place holds on material held by any of the others.

    For this to work, it was necessary to get three different LMS to communicate with each other, providing not only the facility to search individual catalogues – a comparatively straightforward project – but also to recognize the details and status of the members of 14 different library services. Unfortunately, this simple-sounding concept proved impossible to put into practice, and some six years after CO-EAST was set up (and despite many other achievements) it was disbanded, with its initial objective still unfulfilled.

  • 10 - Buying a system: evaluating the offers

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 93-102

  • Summary

    How do you choose a system? How do you know it's the right one for you? How do you demonstrate it's the right one for you? How will it work with your LMS? How will your staff work with it?

    Range of suppliers/range of responses

    There is now a wide range of suppliers serving the library RFID market, and so any request for proposal (RFP) is likely to elicit a sizeable response. It will soon become clear that while some systems may be similar, there are big differences between others. The gradual establishment of standards is starting to reduce some of these differences by specifying approaches which will maximize interoperability and the most efficient ways of working, but they will nevertheless be put into practice in different ways by individual suppliers, while still conforming to the standard.

    There is no single, perfect library RFID system that will meet everybody's needs, simply because everybody's needs are slightly (or sometimes, very) different. As a result, this range of responses should be seen as a good thing, and the sign of a healthy market. The challenge is to ensure that the most appropriate system is matched to the library concerned. It is also important to be able to demonstrate that this has been done.

    Why systematic evaluation is important

    Once the decision has been taken to adopt RFID, after determining the requirements and issuing an RFP from suppliers through the appropriate channels, a process will then be needed to ensure that the responses received from suppliers are evaluated in a systematic and fair way.

    It perhaps should go without saying that this is an essential part of ensuring that the system chosen is the one which most closely meets the requirements that have been specified, but it is sometimes forgotten that, in addition, suppliers need to be confident that their responses are being considered against objective criteria that are applied consistently, rather than subjectively and randomly. Suppliers invest as much – if not much more – time in the process of responding to RFPs as their potential customers do, and expect that their efforts will be judged fairly.

  • 3 - RFID, library applications and the library management system

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 23-38

  • Summary

    Wondering if you still need an LMS? If you do, how does RFID work with it? Is RFID just about self-service? What else can it do?

    RFID and the LMS – why do you need both?

    As we have seen, RFID – at least currently – is not a self-contained library product. It simply provides an alternative method of accessing an LMS, enabling library staff and customers to exploit the benefits of the technology – no need for line of sight, rapid read of multiple items – and so making the LMS more user friendly and able to carry out a wider range of tasks.

    Some library managers have queried why, if this is the case, RFID has to be developed in a specific way for application in libraries if it simply provides what is a ‘front end’ to an existing technology – and some of them, to a greater or lesser degree, have been successful; for example, through the use of generic terminals for self-service.

    Others have questioned the split between RFID and LMS, and wondered why suppliers do not simply integrate the technologies into one product – an RFID-enabled LMS. There are certainly examples of companies that provide both technologies – VTLS in the USA, and DS in the UK being two companies that supply both LMS and RFID systems, although their provision of one does not preclude supply of the other by another company. Similarly, some LMS suppliers have formed strategic partnerships with RFID suppliers, and vice versa, but have understandably not limited themselves to those liaisons, as their existing customers may well wish to choose a system that falls outside such arrangements.

    Either way, it is very likely at present that most libraries will have to deal with two different companies (at least) when installing an RFID system. The reason for this perhaps relates rather more to the current commercial state of the library technology market than to the technology itself. It would be possible to develop a fully integrated RFID-enabled LMS, but it appears to require a level of investment and development which neither LMS nor RFID suppliers currently wish, or are able, to contemplate.

  • 8 - Building a business case for RFID in libraries, and requesting proposals

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp 75-86

  • Summary

    What are you going use RFID for? How are you going to pay for it? Why are you doing it? What are you going to ask for?

    Risk and reward

    Most libraries contemplating the introduction of RFID – as with any other initiative – will probably require a business case to demonstrate:

  • ■ the rationale for wanting to move in this direction

  • ■ what alternatives exist

  • ■ how the technology will be used

  • ■ the implications for staffing

  • ■ what might constitute a return on investment

  • ■ how this return might be achieved

  • ■ the risks involved, both in adopting RFID and in not adopting it.

    • Rationale

    Libraries may wish to implement RFID for a variety of reasons: in some cases, they may be seeking to resolve problems with a specific building or element of service, while in others it may simply be a desire to modernize the service.

    However, the overarching theme in most cases will probably be a desire to provide better customer service, whether through simpler and quicker transaction processes, longer opening hours, or improved stock management.

    This in turn begins to define the applications for which RFID will be used – self-service, supply chain management, stock security and stocktaking, and so on.

    Implementing RFID – the benefits

    As we have seen, the main impetus behind the rapid adoption of RFID in libraries has been much less about the technology itself, and much more about what can be done with it. However, this also implies that there is much more that has to be done with it to achieve a useful outcome.

    It would be perfectly possible simply to install RFID and sit back and wait for the benefits. Possible, but not advisable, as this implies a level of technological determinism that even Veblen might have found extreme. Installing a new technology like RFID cannot, by itself, provide a solution to all existing problems while automatically realizing all the benefits. Unless all of the processes affected have been thoroughly analysed beforehand, there is a strong likelihood that RFID will simply magnify all the shortcomings of the original approach, and none of the potential benefits will be found.

  • Preface

  • Martin Palmer
  • Book:
    Making the Most of RFID in Libraries
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 March 2009, pp ix-xii

  • Summary

    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.

  • 8 - The design brief

  • Ayub Khan
  • Book:
    Better by Design
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2008, pp 85-96

  • Summary

    The design brief is the statement of requirements on which the design is developed. The brief may start as a simple general statement of the project objectives; the ‘outline’ brief. This should provide the basic information required by the architect, but architects will themselves take part in the planning process, creating a detailed brief that will equip them to create the design. This chapter explores the contents of the design brief and the processes involved in creating it, drawing on documents used in actual new library builds as well as technical literature.

    Functions of the brief

    A good brief is vital – one should never start design work until the operational brief is established and space requirements and key relationships have been set out. The design brief can be useful in many ways. Architects generally agree that the brief can provide:

  • ■ a channel of information between librarian and architect

  • ■ a basis for discussion and joint problem-solving

  • ■ a record of decisions and milestones; this can support continuity and consistency of the project's development

  • ■ a useful evaluation tool, as it includes aims and resources against which designs can be evaluated

  • ■ a useful aid for estimating resources required.

    • The design brief may also be part of the legal agreement between librarian and architect.

    Although it is possible to have a verbal brief, a written brief provides a clear source of reference for all involved. Developing the brief is the most important part of the whole scheme; however magnificent an architect's creation, however skilful she/he may be in solving a problem, the solution is useless if the problem's true nature and extent has not been understood. In most if not all cases, therefore, the brief should be written to ensure that there is a common understanding about what is required. The librarian is responsible for seeing that the brief describes clearly what she/he would like the project to accomplish, for reviewing and signing it off at outline and detailed stages. The architect's team is entitled to have a document which will be their authority to spend valuable time in working in a certain direction.

  • 7 - Partnership and community engagement

  • Ayub Khan
  • Book:
    Better by Design
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    20 December 2008, pp 73-84

  • Summary

    Increasingly, agencies involved in providing public services are working together. This chapter looks at the emergence of multiagency projects and community engagement, together with some practical issues relating to dual-use libraries.

    Libraries manifest a community's intellectual and cultural identity.

    (Libris, http://librisdesign.org/docs/index.html)

    Different types of library have different user groups. In a university or school library, the users are students and teaching staff. In a public library the users are members of the community ranging from small children to older citizens. In a special library they are members of the organization served by the library. Consideration of users is fundamental to library design, and it is therefore crucial that their views are sought through the design process.

    Partnership approaches

    In the 21st century there is a general expectation that service provision should be developed via a multi-agency approach in order to secure maximum efficiency and impact. Therefore, in the early stages of planning a new or refurbished library, it is wise to give some thought to how a multiagency approach might be developed. The approach taken will depend on the philosophy of the project, the aim and purpose of the new or refurbished building, the needs of stakeholders and local opportunities.

    There are many toolkits and resources available on the internet to assist the development of partnerships. The following factors have frequently been identified in effective partnership work:

  • ■ The agencies involved have a history of working together.

  • ■ The partnership goals address needs and issues that are relevant to all members, and add value to their own activities.

  • ■ The roles of members are complementary, not competitive, and the ways of working are agreed by all.

  • ■ Members support each other, with agreed mechanisms for control and mutual accountability.

  • ■ Senior management of member organizations support the partnership.

  • ■ Members share control and are represented and influential in decisionmaking processes.

  • ■ Effective systems for communication and information sharing are developed.

  • ■ Members have confidence that each of the others will carry out activities to a high standard.

  • ■ Members are able to learn not only from the outputs of the partnership but also from the process itself, e.g. learning new ways of working.

  • ■ Conflicts and problems are viewed as opportunities for learning.

Page 243 of 293