The Top 10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before RFID
(Or, How to Stay Sane Dealingwith Summer Volunteers)
Megan Bowers
Library Associate
Readers’ Services
High Point Public Library
336-883-3695
Started in May. Finished in October
Training
◦Staff
Train the Trainer
◦Volunteers
Collection Size
◦Print = roughly 66,000
◦Non-Print = roughly 28,000
A Close Call – completed minutes beforegoing live
◦Red Tags (7 7.5 Gallon tubs)
How Long the Process Really Is…
1
Creating an easy to use tag dispenser
Not everything will scan rightaway when checking in/out
◦Scanned but not desensitized
Used ‘dot system’: tagged/untagged
Lingo
◦Tagged
◦Written
◦Mobile Station
◦Sting Rays
◦Square Tags
You’ll Have to Get Creative
2
Our antennas have a range of about 6 inches
The size of the books determines how manycan be checked out at once
Only 3 DVDs at a time, 4 at most
◦Troublemaker: DVDs with multiple discs (TV shows)
How Many Items You Can Scan at Once
3
Training
◦Roughly 50 volunteers this summer
◦Group training -> Individual brush-up
Volunteer Assignments
◦Assignment sheet specifyingwhich volunteer worked on whichsection
Assignments based on
   ability level
Some Volunteers Just Won’t Get it…
4
Double-Sided DVDs
◦Roughly 80-100 DVDs were removed
Books with Metallic Covers
◦Multiple books from Fiction and Nonfiction wereremoved
Magazines
◦Still checking out by barcode
Children’s Board Books
◦Still checking out by barcode
There Are Some Collections RFID Just Won’t Work With
5
Figuring out the right number of items ableto be stacked on an antenna at one time.
Determining if RFID would work with morethan 1 disc in a case
Getting used to the different circulationsettings
How Important Test Runs Are for Staff
6
Even more training…
◦Have staff and volunteers available to help trainpatrons with the self-check machine
Signs and Handouts
Patrons LOVE incentives – even simpleones
◦Card Holders
◦Pens
Easy access to their account
◦Renewals
◦Items out
◦Holds
Patrons Either Love It or Hate It… And They’ll Let You Know
7
Not every item will have been tagged andwritten correctly – or at all
Already replaced an antenna
Square tags won’t stick to some surfaces
How Many ‘After the Fact’ Problems there Will Be
8
Missing / Incomplete Items
◦DVDs returned without the disc
DVDs found on the shelf with a missing disc
Check-in problems
◦Returned in the wrong case
◦Customers claiming discs weremissing at check-out
You’ll Have to Come Up with New Systems for…
9
Removing Sting Rays from DVDs
Putting DVDs in books to hide them
Ripping back covers (with thesquare tag) off of paperbacks
Patrons Will Find a Way to Work Around the System
1
0
Questions?