Last two weeks I was in United States for a business visit. Americans are generally very friendly and jovial guys. They have an airlines called as South West. South West Airlines is a budget airline but they love doing things in their own way. Eg. this is the only airlines I have seen where the air hostesses wear shorts and sport shoes !
They have a very funny way of making announcements eg. "This is a No Smoking and No Complaint flight - so please bear with us" or "For take off , the lights in the cabins will be dimmed. Now if you are scared of dark or suspect your fellow passenger to be naughty then you may press the switch on the top. This will turn on the lights. But pressing the Air hostess button will not turn On the air hostesses" or "We are heading for Salt Lake City. If you do not wish to land in Huston Texas then please switch off your mobile phones"
It is really very enjoyable that our usual "Kursi ko peti iss tarahase kholi jati hai ...."
I am sure in South West Airlines Library they might have put a notice like this ...
"In our other branch which is now under Taliban Control we normally chop one finger per day for the delayed books , here we charge 1 dollar. However for those patrons who get habituated for delaying books , we would like to offer a free membership of our Taliban Library"
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Why I need RFID for my library ?
One of the Libraries I know has invested more than 2 Crores on RFID almost four years back and the status as of now is , their circulation system is still manual. There is a beautiful RFID antenna at the gate but it is switched off ! This being a public institute (to be precise a University) even there were articles in the news paper about this kind of colossal waste of money but after a few articles nothing has changed much.
Another incidence was a tender by a company who wanted to invest almost 1 Crore for implementing RFID in a Library which was having not more than 1000 books !
I think it is a national loss - and that is the reason , it is very essential that a Librarian should ask himself or herself a question , why am I going for a RFID system ?
If your objective is theft control , then you will have to decide what is the tolerance level you can accept in detecting the stolen book ? Because if you want 100 % accuracy then you may have to think of a UHF solution which can be very expensive than the HF solution which every vendor will suggest you. Before that find out a report about how many books really went missing last year - now unless you do not stack rare books , you will observe that usually the cost of the missing books for last five may be less than the RFID system ! Of course if you stack rare books then this logic will not work. But Theft Control can not be the only purpose for going for a RFID solution.
Next thing that you might want to consider is , how many books your patrons take in one go. If they are not taking more than 2 books every time , the time difference between RFID and Barcode is not going to be great.
So unless you do not have a very large circulation department with people taking multiple books in one go etc. RFID really does not become a very efficient system.
Now there are many Librarians I know who want to have a RFID solution because they just want to tell everyone in a conference that "We have RFID" ..... It is just a matter of pride ,
Well for them there is a very simple solution than investing such huge money.
Call your local carpenter and ask him to make a gate antenna which looks like an RFID antenna (you can get hundreds of picture on the net). Put couple of red lights and do not even connect to an electric point.
Make two rectangular boxes and put some white mica on it and tell you circulation guys to keep the books on that every time they issue the books .
No one in the world will ever think that you really do not have a RFID system !
Another incidence was a tender by a company who wanted to invest almost 1 Crore for implementing RFID in a Library which was having not more than 1000 books !
I think it is a national loss - and that is the reason , it is very essential that a Librarian should ask himself or herself a question , why am I going for a RFID system ?
If your objective is theft control , then you will have to decide what is the tolerance level you can accept in detecting the stolen book ? Because if you want 100 % accuracy then you may have to think of a UHF solution which can be very expensive than the HF solution which every vendor will suggest you. Before that find out a report about how many books really went missing last year - now unless you do not stack rare books , you will observe that usually the cost of the missing books for last five may be less than the RFID system ! Of course if you stack rare books then this logic will not work. But Theft Control can not be the only purpose for going for a RFID solution.
Next thing that you might want to consider is , how many books your patrons take in one go. If they are not taking more than 2 books every time , the time difference between RFID and Barcode is not going to be great.
So unless you do not have a very large circulation department with people taking multiple books in one go etc. RFID really does not become a very efficient system.
Now there are many Librarians I know who want to have a RFID solution because they just want to tell everyone in a conference that "We have RFID" ..... It is just a matter of pride ,
Well for them there is a very simple solution than investing such huge money.
Call your local carpenter and ask him to make a gate antenna which looks like an RFID antenna (you can get hundreds of picture on the net). Put couple of red lights and do not even connect to an electric point.
Make two rectangular boxes and put some white mica on it and tell you circulation guys to keep the books on that every time they issue the books .
No one in the world will ever think that you really do not have a RFID system !
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Will there be Barcodes after RFID ?
Barcode , that small sticker on the book consisting of small lines has helped Librarians over many years . Every time it would save typing at least 7 to 8 keystrokes of the accession number and the best part was the accuracy is almost 100 % . It may not read the barcode sometimes but it will never read it wrong. Normally costing about a rupee or so it is a technology which is simple , cheap and efficient.
RFID is the new technology. It is suppose to be directionless which means you really do not have to show the RFID tag (sticker) to the reader , once the reader is around 2 to 15 cms (depending upon the type of tag) , the accession number is automatically read ! Amazing technology.
So the obvious question is will there be Barcode 20 years from now ....
I think YES .
The reason for the same is very simple , first of all Barcode is nothing but Another font , that's it. So if you can print your library name on the RFID tag , you can also print a barcode on the tag. Now if the effective cost is so low then why one should remove barcodes ? Besides Barcode can always serve as plan B. What if your RFID readers fail ?
But that is not only the reason. RFID is more efficient depending upon how many SKU you are reading. SKU is Stock Keeping Unit. If you are reading one book at a time then the time taken for a RFID tagged book and Barcode are not drastically different. So if you are issuing/returning multiple books in one GO then RFID would be more efficient. But again there are issues here , RFID has a limitation which in technical terms called as "Anti Collision" , ie the ability to read multiple tags in one go. And higher the number of tags it can read in one go, higher is the cost of the reader !
Well barcode may not be that efficient in theft detection but especially in Indian scenario , I saw a Library where the peon at the exit gate will scan the barcode and will know if the book is really issued or not ! This is as efficient as RFID. ( Go to Big bazar and the security guard would check if your bills is paid or not ! ) . I think "IHOIN - It happens only in India" kind of technology is bound to be seen in the Libraries as well.
ITC is one the most successful and probably the only RFID solution implemented in Retail. The Wills brand apparels are 100 % RFID tagged. They have used UHF tags which are in fact more expensive but next time when you go the Wills showroom , check the tag - it has a barcode on it !
Now the interesting part - Toyota was one of the early adopters of RFID on thier shop floor. But after five years they have switched back to Barocdes for some their stores . They use two dimension instead of those vertical lined barcodes.
This reminds me of this interesting story about technology.
Around 20-25 years back when the first Digital Watch Pulsar was produced , everyone must have been amazed , here was a watch which could tell you the time in exact numbers which you and me can read. The earlier method of finding out time based on the angle of two hands of a watch is really a Rocket Science. Try writing a manual about how to figure out time using the angle between hands of a Analog watch.
I am sure at that time , there must have been some big discussion like this . Is it the end of Analog watches ? Will there be Analog watches after 20 years ? .........
What kind of watch you wear ? :)
Moral of the story is Barcodes are here to stay even for our grand children.
RFID is the new technology. It is suppose to be directionless which means you really do not have to show the RFID tag (sticker) to the reader , once the reader is around 2 to 15 cms (depending upon the type of tag) , the accession number is automatically read ! Amazing technology.
So the obvious question is will there be Barcode 20 years from now ....
I think YES .
The reason for the same is very simple , first of all Barcode is nothing but Another font , that's it. So if you can print your library name on the RFID tag , you can also print a barcode on the tag. Now if the effective cost is so low then why one should remove barcodes ? Besides Barcode can always serve as plan B. What if your RFID readers fail ?
But that is not only the reason. RFID is more efficient depending upon how many SKU you are reading. SKU is Stock Keeping Unit. If you are reading one book at a time then the time taken for a RFID tagged book and Barcode are not drastically different. So if you are issuing/returning multiple books in one GO then RFID would be more efficient. But again there are issues here , RFID has a limitation which in technical terms called as "Anti Collision" , ie the ability to read multiple tags in one go. And higher the number of tags it can read in one go, higher is the cost of the reader !
Well barcode may not be that efficient in theft detection but especially in Indian scenario , I saw a Library where the peon at the exit gate will scan the barcode and will know if the book is really issued or not ! This is as efficient as RFID. ( Go to Big bazar and the security guard would check if your bills is paid or not ! ) . I think "IHOIN - It happens only in India" kind of technology is bound to be seen in the Libraries as well.
ITC is one the most successful and probably the only RFID solution implemented in Retail. The Wills brand apparels are 100 % RFID tagged. They have used UHF tags which are in fact more expensive but next time when you go the Wills showroom , check the tag - it has a barcode on it !
Now the interesting part - Toyota was one of the early adopters of RFID on thier shop floor. But after five years they have switched back to Barocdes for some their stores . They use two dimension instead of those vertical lined barcodes.
This reminds me of this interesting story about technology.
Around 20-25 years back when the first Digital Watch Pulsar was produced , everyone must have been amazed , here was a watch which could tell you the time in exact numbers which you and me can read. The earlier method of finding out time based on the angle of two hands of a watch is really a Rocket Science. Try writing a manual about how to figure out time using the angle between hands of a Analog watch.
I am sure at that time , there must have been some big discussion like this . Is it the end of Analog watches ? Will there be Analog watches after 20 years ? .........
What kind of watch you wear ? :)
Moral of the story is Barcodes are here to stay even for our grand children.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Circulation in year 2020 using RFID Technology
I was very much inspired by a film I saw at one of the Retail Industry Technology seminar which I attended few weeks back. It was about the future of retail and the kind of technologies we are going to encounter in future. Based on that film I was inspired to think about a Library in year 2020 and the kind of circulation system that we might see . So it is an "Anu Malik" kind of an effort , inspired from somewhere (but I strongly believe Nasurat Fateh Ali Khan became more popular in masses only when Anu Malik Copied him :) )
Anyway ...
Year : 2020
Place : A University Library In India , Mind well India is the largest Economy in the world in 2020 and a Rich country).
You walk towards the Library , the main Library door opens automatically reading the RFID Card which is in your pocket. You move towards the Cart Section and many carts are parked similar to an airport but they are locked. You insert your RFID Card into the cart and it unlocks , and a message with Voice over appears "Welcome to ABC Library Mr. XYZ , I hope you did not get drenched on the way (Courtesy Google Weather) " .
The card will have a return book compartment , where you will return your books and this will be cleared when you leave your cart back.
"Here is the list of books/Cds you have reserved over last week " And a list of books & Cds will flash with cover titles etc on a small screen on your cart. You clean the list and keep only the books you really need and proceed to delivery section. Note the archival stack is in the basement and every book is keep on a kind of cradle which will activate with a relay based mechanized system , which is controlled through the main computer. So it really does not matter where exactly you store the book. No Shelf Numbers"
You click on "Gather" button and the list from your cart is transferred to main computer through blue tooth (come on how can you still use that old technology ?) , may be on Nirvana - the ultimate communication protocol . The main computer will operate the relays to release the specific cradle and those books will move on a conveyor and will fall into a bin meant for you. Once all the books & Cds are gathered , the bin will come in front of you , you put it it in your cart and it is issued to you.
Now you want to browse what is new . In the meantime the main computer has analyzed "what others are reading who had borrowed your books recently" and will display those books on the screen on your cart. The cart will also show you a map and a 3D view and with a GPS based navigation will point you to the exact place where these books are. BTW GPS accuracy will be in millimeters by then.
There will be various vending machines which you will be operating using your RFID and the charges will be charged to you card.
The reading section will be have "Talking zones" similar to "Smoking zones" which will be sound proof for others , because by that time Library Science will be grossly induced with Knowledge management and "Knowledge transfer through Socializing" will become main function of your library.
So you will grab your coffee , collect your books and while walking away store your cart to get back your RFID card !
Now interesting part is you can do almost 99 % of it "Today" , yes visit a site called "Second life" . So rather than going to the library probably you would visit a Library in "Second life" and whatever you select there will be couriered to you to your home ! Looks like 2008 is very near to 2020.
Anyway ...
Year : 2020
Place : A University Library In India , Mind well India is the largest Economy in the world in 2020 and a Rich country).
You walk towards the Library , the main Library door opens automatically reading the RFID Card which is in your pocket. You move towards the Cart Section and many carts are parked similar to an airport but they are locked. You insert your RFID Card into the cart and it unlocks , and a message with Voice over appears "Welcome to ABC Library Mr. XYZ , I hope you did not get drenched on the way (Courtesy Google Weather) " .
The card will have a return book compartment , where you will return your books and this will be cleared when you leave your cart back.
"Here is the list of books/Cds you have reserved over last week " And a list of books & Cds will flash with cover titles etc on a small screen on your cart. You clean the list and keep only the books you really need and proceed to delivery section. Note the archival stack is in the basement and every book is keep on a kind of cradle which will activate with a relay based mechanized system , which is controlled through the main computer. So it really does not matter where exactly you store the book. No Shelf Numbers"
You click on "Gather" button and the list from your cart is transferred to main computer through blue tooth (come on how can you still use that old technology ?) , may be on Nirvana - the ultimate communication protocol . The main computer will operate the relays to release the specific cradle and those books will move on a conveyor and will fall into a bin meant for you. Once all the books & Cds are gathered , the bin will come in front of you , you put it it in your cart and it is issued to you.
Now you want to browse what is new . In the meantime the main computer has analyzed "what others are reading who had borrowed your books recently" and will display those books on the screen on your cart. The cart will also show you a map and a 3D view and with a GPS based navigation will point you to the exact place where these books are. BTW GPS accuracy will be in millimeters by then.
There will be various vending machines which you will be operating using your RFID and the charges will be charged to you card.
The reading section will be have "Talking zones" similar to "Smoking zones" which will be sound proof for others , because by that time Library Science will be grossly induced with Knowledge management and "Knowledge transfer through Socializing" will become main function of your library.
So you will grab your coffee , collect your books and while walking away store your cart to get back your RFID card !
Now interesting part is you can do almost 99 % of it "Today" , yes visit a site called "Second life" . So rather than going to the library probably you would visit a Library in "Second life" and whatever you select there will be couriered to you to your home ! Looks like 2008 is very near to 2020.
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