The Queens Library System Grows With RFID
Millions of tagged books, DVDs and CDs speed checkout times, boost visits and add value to the community.
By Jennifer Zaino
Aug. 18, 2008—At nearly two dozen of the 62 libraries that make up the Queens Borough Public Library System in New York, more gets read these days than just the pages of books. Millions of items—books, DVDs and CDs—have been equipped with radio frequency identification tags that can be read automatically at self-checkout kiosks equipped with RFID technology. RFID speeds the checkout process for borrowers, creates new efficiencies for library employees and promises to help the biggest circulating library in the United States—the fourth largest in the world—continue to grow.
RFID technology is not new to library systems. In fact, according to a recent report by IDTechEx, the RFID market is expected to blossom to $27 billion during the next decade, with library applications contributing to some of the greatest growth in that sector. What makes the Queens library system deployment stand out from others includes:
• Its size and scope. The deployment involves the initial tagging of some 6.5 million items, as well as the tagging of roughly 1 million new items purchased each year. The cost for the initial deployment was approximately $6.5 million for tags and self-checkout kiosks, and plans call for the allocation of another $13.5 million toward interior and exterior RFID-enabled self-check-in units.
Aug. 18, 2008—At nearly two dozen of the 62 libraries that make up the Queens Borough Public Library System in New York, more gets read these days than just the pages of books. Millions of items—books, DVDs and CDs—have been equipped with radio frequency identification tags that can be read automatically at self-checkout kiosks equipped with RFID technology. RFID speeds the checkout process for borrowers, creates new efficiencies for library employees and promises to help the biggest circulating library in the United States—the fourth largest in the world—continue to grow.
RFID technology is not new to library systems. In fact, according to a recent report by IDTechEx, the RFID market is expected to blossom to $27 billion during the next decade, with library applications contributing to some of the greatest growth in that sector. What makes the Queens library system deployment stand out from others includes:
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| Millions of items—books, DVDs and CDs—have been equipped with radio frequency identification tags that can be read automatically at self-checkout kiosks equipped with RFID technology. |
• Its size and scope. The deployment involves the initial tagging of some 6.5 million items, as well as the tagging of roughly 1 million new items purchased each year. The cost for the initial deployment was approximately $6.5 million for tags and self-checkout kiosks, and plans call for the allocation of another $13.5 million toward interior and exterior RFID-enabled self-check-in units.
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