RFID for CityU Library

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RFID for CityU Library
JULAC Library Forum13 February 2009
Alice Tai Michael Cheng
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Background

• Convenient located at transport hub
• Large clientele 3,500 staff, 25,000 students
  (36 part-time) and over 20,000 registered
  external users (alumni JULAC).
• High Access Rate
• annual entrance figure reaches 2.1M
• peak daily entrance over 10,000 a day
• High Transaction Volume
• 950,000 items checkout in a year
• Long Service Hours
• Opens all year round (closes on 5 days)
• Longest opening hours among all local university
  libraries
• Till 100am 1 month before revision and
  examination period
• 24 hours during revision and examination period

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Background
Users queue up before the Library opens
The multi-tasking counter staff
Users queue up for services at the Circulation
Counter
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Background
transformation
New Service and skill Requirements
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Background
Subject Villages
Learning Commons
Research Support
Equipment Support
Content Facilitator
IT Skills
transformation
New Service and skill Requirements
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Background
EasyService
Manpower
RETRAINING AND REDEPLOYMENT
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Background
EasyService
Enabler
Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID)
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Radio Frequency IDentification
Versus
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Radio Frequency
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Radio Frequency IDentification
Frequencies of the electromagnetic waves govern
their physical properties such as read range,
data transfer speed and so on.
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Radio Frequency IDentification
Reader module
Antenna
Tag
Host
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Library Item Identification

• The First RFID Library
• 1998 - National Library Board, Singapore
• HF RFID was the de facto choice because
• HF was the only viable RFID technology for
  libraries at that time
• Allocation of spectrum at 13.56 MHz is available
  in most countries throughout the world
  commercially viable in most countries

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Proliferation of UHF RFID
UHF RFID mandates
Local development

• HKSAR Government Support
• 2004 2007 HK108 million funding for RFID
  projects
• 2005 Hong Kong RD Centre for Logistics and
  Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies
  (LSCM RD Centre)
• 2008 Hong Kong RFID Centre (Innovation and
  Technology Commission, HKSTP GS1 HK)

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Item Level Identification?
Pallet and cartoon level What if it is for
item level, say, on a book?
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UHF RFID Publishers

• New EPC Gen2 Standard in 2006
• Revived the possibility of item level tagging
  with UHF RFID
• Publishers started the deployment of UHF at book
  level with proven success

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UHF RFID Publishers

• Boekhandels Groep Nederland (BGN)
• The largest book retailer in the Netherlands
• April 2006 the worlds 1st fully automated
  item-level UHF RFID (EPC Gen2) tagged store
  opened at Almere
• October 2006 the second one at Maastricht
• Item identification accuracy approaching 100
• Sales increased by 50
• RFID Breakthrough Awards (2006), Torex Retail ICT
• April 2007 RFID antennas on the shelves

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UHF RFID Publishers

• Boekhandels Groep Nederland (BGN)
• End of 2007 System extended to 6 stores
• End of 2008 System extended to all 42 stores
• December 2008 announced accuracy of 100
• Shogakukan Inc.
• A Japanese publisher
• October 2008 reported successful implementation
  of UHF RFID

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UHF RFID Publishers
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UHF RFID Publishers
. it takes months, if not an entire year,
before annual sales figures can be known with
relative certainty . The Association of
American Publishers (AAP) annual global
statistics for 2007 went to press in November
2008. The Book Industry Study Group's (BISG)
accounting of publishing statistics, "Trends," is
released in late May for the previous year.
These rear-view mirror annual statistics are of
limited value in terms of predictive business
utility. . Trying to gather trade publishing
statistics could be compared to Lindbergh's 1927
flight across the Atlantic. . Real-time (or at
least more timely) metrics and supply chain
transparency would unquestionably benefit trade
book publishers.
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UHF RFID Publishers
This is wholly unnecessary, given the rise of
RFID and other retail-enhancing technology (now
implemented in bookstores in The Netherlands and
Portugal). . RFID-enabling the entire U.S.
book business from printer/binder to retailer
would be a vast undertaking. However, the
benefits are tremendous. A universal, fully
integrated system of RFID technology throughout
publishing would generate real-time numbers that
mirror how the business is run and not merely
retrospective views of the net sales of each
physical format James Lichtenberg, Book
Publishing by (RFID) Numbers Seeking Order in
the Book Channel Chaos, excerpt from The Seybold
Report, (December 18, 2008) http//www.seyboldrep
ort.com/book-publishing-rfid-numbers
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Library Item Identification
Pallet and cartoon level What if it is for
item level, say, on a book?
Yes, UHF RFID is also a viable option for
item-level tagging.
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Library Item Identification
Some suppliers of RFID take the position
that, if library systems were being developed for
the first time today instead of a decade ago, UHF
would be the logical technology platform
Alan Butters White Paper on RFID for Libraries
A Comparison of High Frequency (HF) and Ultra
High Frequency (UHF) Options. (2008), p.3
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Library Item Identification
Most of the above limitations on the use of
UHF in library applications have been overcome as
the technology evolved with EPC Gen2, UHF near
field developments, and work on frequency
harmonization around the globe. Therefore, it is
likely that in the near future (five years or
less) the UHF tags may indeed be quite prevalent
in libraries NISO Working Group RFID in US
Libraries A Recommended Practice of the National
Information Standards Organization, NISO
RP-6-2008
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Library Item Identification

• The First UHF RFID Library?
• 2000s Different new attempts and experiments by
  libraries and library vendors around the world
• Australia (1)Blacktown City Council Library, (2)
  Victor Harbor Public Library, (3) Loreto
  Mandeville Hall, (4) Gamden Council Library
  Service
• Singapore Nanyang Girls High School
• China (1) Shantou University, (2) ??????, (3)
  ??????, (4) ??????, (5) ??????, (5) ????

Sources (1) Information on China was provided by
the University Librarian of Shantou University
(2) Alan Butters (2008). New RFID Technologies
Standards What Does it all mean for your
library? http//www.valaconf.org.au/vala2008/pape
rs2008/66_Butters_Final.pdf (3) Civica (2006).
UHF RFID Libraries taking the next step into
the future http//www.adilam.com.au/Civica20UHF
20RFID20IN20Library20applications20Rev20Jan2
007.pdf
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• Rational Choice
• Objective Observation

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CityU Library Floor Plan
Semi-Closed Collection Room (UHF RFID Pilot Test )
CD/DVD Collection Room (HF RFID Pilot Test)
Assisted self-check (barcodes tattle-tapes)
self-check machines
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The Hypothesis
UHF
HF

• UHF, though still maturing, can perform equally
  well if not superior to HF in the library
  environment.

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• UHF RFID Pilot Test

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UHF RFID Pilot Test

• A joint project with the Wireless Communications
  Research Centre (IEEE fellows)
• 2006 Applied Research Grant of the University
• 2007 Plans and Preparation for a Pilot Test
• 2008 UHF RFID Applications (beta version)
  tried out in Semi-Closed Collection

• Semi-Closed Collection
• Size 7,000 course-related short-loan items (high
  demand, 1-day, 5-hour)
• Usage 500 checkouts a day

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UHF RFID Pilot Test

• Results
• Checkouts increased by 50 for all months during
  the semester time when compared to the equivalent
  figures of the previous two years.

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UHF RFID Pilot Test

• Results
• Checkouts increased by 50 for all months during
  the semester time when compared to the equivalent
  figures of the previous two years.
• A strong correlation between the use of UHF RFID
  and the increase.
• User survey (July 2008) very positive feedback
• Convenient
• User-friendly
• Quick response
• Cyber design
• Request to extend to the whole library

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UHF RFID Pilot Test

• Results
• Staff time allocation (explains why the 50
  increase)
• No more counter duties (100 selfcheck for SSC
  materials)
• More time for
• backend faculty liaison to increase relevancy and
  precision of the Collection
• more frequent re-shelving (every 30 minutes) and
  shelf-reading, thus reducing mis-shelving and
  materials are quickly put back on shelves thus
  increasing availability
• No item misread reported
• read range and orientation of readers and
  antennas under control (proprietary read-range
  controlling device)
• patents on device and casing design filed

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HK RFID Award 2008
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• HF RFID Pilot Test

U
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HF RFID Pilot Test

• CD/DVD Collection Room
• Tender awarded to a HF RFID library application
  vendor
• Available for public use in Oct 08

• CD/DVD Collection
• Size 20,000 short-loan CD/DVD items

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HF RFID Pilot Test

• Parallel test at CD/DVD Collection WHY?
• Successful case studies of HF RFID for print
  library materials are readily available.
• Metallic surfaces of CDs/DVDs create interference
  that affect RFID performance. Lockable plastic
  cases and automatic case unlockers from the
  vendor provide workaround.

• Selfcheck machines serve the purpose of testing
  both CDs/DVDs and books.
• CD/DVD Collection can remain an independent HF
  RFID Collection.

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HF RFID Pilot Test

• Results
• No. of transactions is gradually picking up since
  the pilot test was kicked off in October 2008.
• Some missteps during the initial installation but
  were solved with subsequent troubleshooting. The
  vendor has upgraded the software to improve the
  performance.

• Performance of HF RFID by and large conforms to
  literature findings and experience of other
  libraries.
• No sign that HF RFID system outperforms UHF RFID
  System.

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• Evaluation Process

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Evaluation Process

• Pilot tests are not intended for direct
  competitions
• BUT rather an indirect comparison
• Understand each technology first-hand

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Evaluation Process
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Evaluation Process
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• The Report

UHF RFID for CityU Library Just a local decision
Different libraries will have different
considerations
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Old Counter Operation
New Counter Operation
Library Collection (Subject Village)
EasyCheck machines with overdue fine payment
function
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Click to show movies
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• Thank You