Inventory with LS2 for Schools and RFID

“It’s so much easier now to find library books missing or lost in classrooms! We can take our staffCIRC TRAK wand into classrooms, wave it over the shelves and it beeps to tell us when it locates library books with RFID tags. We don’t have to even look at the shelves!”  —Dr. Melissa Frost, Systems Librarian at Rochester City School District (NY)

Benefits of RFID in School Libraries
‍The Rochester City School District (RCSD) implemented RFID primarily for more efficient annual inventories and started using Tech Logic’s staffCIRC TRAK shelf management wands three years ago.  

Most school libraries do inventory by scanning barcodes with a hand scanner, kneeling to reach lower shelves. With staffCIRC TRAK the library staff scans the spines of their entire collection instead of scanning individual item barcodes. Since each book has an RFID tag, it is easy to walk around and wave the shelf management wand over the whole collection. The ease of RFID scanning saves knees and hands—no more painful trigger finger from scanning 3,000-4,000 barcodes!

Checkout and check-in of library books are faster with RFID, saving time for library staff, students and faculty. The condition of returned books are checked before they are shelved to further streamline inventory. It also ensures that there are no missing pages, coloring, or ketchup packages used as “bookmarks!”  

Tag pricing is reasonable these days at around 11 cents per blank tag. Book suppliers usually offer RFID tags as part of their pre-processing service, for an additional fee, saving staff processing time. Librarians need only tag new materials from on-site book fairs or donations.  

Implementing RFID
To fully utilize RFID, each item in the collection must be tagged with an RFID tag inserted into the book. Each tag is written or “programmed” to carry the barcode number of the book. Using Tech Logic’s software, training for the tagging process took less than ten minutes. Half that time was spent showing staff and volunteers where to place the RFID tags in the items—usually on the inside back cover. RCSD had good success using high school students or volunteers for the tagging process.  

Once the collection is fully tagged, you’re ready to scan the shelves using the staffCIRC TRAK wand for inventory or collection management. RCSD reviews materials sent to the classroom so inaccurate or outdated materials are weeded. When items are weeded, RCSD disables the RFID tag by slicing the RFID tag with scissors or box cutters so they will be identifiable should they come back into the collection.

Tips & Tricks
Metal shelving and metal book trucks can interrupt the RFID signal of books next to the shelf ends during scanning. If that’s a problem, simply slide the wand between the book and the metal shelf to pick up the tag. Similarly, foil-bound book covers can also interrupt the RFID signal. In that case, remove the book from the shelf to scan closer to the RFID tag. Some RCSD librarians photocopy the foil book cover and replace it with a paper cover to insure a clear signal. That’s a very small number of books and not enough to worry about.  

In the early days, one book supplier mistakenly sent materials with RFID tags written in an incorrect format. It’s worth spot-checking new materials to ensure correct tag formatting before shelving them.  

The benefits of RFID have paid off for RCSD in saved staff time, accurate inventories and streamlined collection management.

Is RFID worth the cost of conversion? Check out this webinar RCSD did with our parent company The Library Corporation (TLC).

Want to hear more about Rochester’s motivations for pioneering RFID in the school library setting? Check out this presentation they gave at the FETC conference in 2023.

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Tech Logic connects libraries with their communities through dynamic, innovative, and efficient workflow technologies—delivering unparalleled service and outstanding patron experience. Since 1997, we have worked exclusively with libraries to develop solutions that empower library patrons and staff.