RFID and SIP – Potential for Big Improvements for Libraries

Mick Fortune, of  RFID-Changing Libraries for Good fame notes that the new data model standard released by ISO just a few weeks ago (ISO 28560) “presents both a threat and an opportunity for suppliers. The threat is obvious. Up until now it has proved too difficult for most libraries to switch suppliers once they have purchased an RFID solution.” With the potential for interoperability between RFID systems, the library RFID marketplace may soon face competition.

UHF and HF RFID Tags

I've been focused recently on developments in UHF technology and how it might help libraries improve on the RFID products we currently use (which are  based on HF tags).  My interest, of course, is having something that fits our library applications best and if UHF is a better fit, I'd rather know now than later after we have an even greater investment in the HF technology.

NISO RFID Guidelines Helpful but not yet "Standards"

RFID technology for libraries still suffers from a lack of standards. Early adopters bought tags that aren't necessarily usable with today's RFID systems. RFID readers, security systems and materials handling systems are often purchased from a single vendor in order to ensure that all the components and tags work together. Tags that any library buys today will not necessarily work with all the circulation or security components a library might like to use in the future. One of the big standards hurdles is a data model standard.