RFID streamlines return processing at Dakota Co. Libraries
08 August, 2011
category: RFID
Westcott Library, located in Eagan, Minnesota, has installed RFID technology to streamline its book return process.
When a book is returned it is placed on a conveyor belt, whether it is within the library or into the outdoor collection, the conveyor starts and the RFID systems checks the book in and immediately removes it from the library patron’s record. The books are then categorized in placed into corresponding bins (i.e. adult fiction, children’s, movies, etc.).
The Dakota County Library system was fully enabled with RFID technology in Mid-June, with Westcott being one of the first to complete its installation. Materials dropped belonging to the other Dakota County Library branches drop into a bin near a wall of crates, one for each branch, to be quickly sorted and shipped.
After items are returned, the system allows a predefined amount of time for reshelving and then automatically updates the item’s location so patrons know it is available to be checked out.
Read the full story here.