State of the art in RFID technology [in libraries]

RFID technology is beginning to be used for keeping track of traditional library materials, whether they be printed, audio-visual, CDs, DVDs, etc. RFID technology has been used for many years for identifying livestock, tagging children in theme parks in case they are separated from their guardians and for identifying equipment enclosed in boxes. Now it is being used for security and stock control in the retail world and also in the library world. The RFID chip or tag as it is called can hold substantial
amount of data, which will normally include an identifier of the kind which is currently found as a barcode. Additionally it can contain data for unique identification
in an inter-library loan scenario; data such as ISBN, class mark and title which can make stock control easier. The latest chips can be written to dynamically so that the data model can be updated as the state of the art in data models advances. Standards need to be developed specifically for use in the library world and appropriate ISO Committees have begun to develop these. The Danish Standards institution has published a data model and in the UK a joint Book Industry Communication / Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals working group has been set up to feed into any international standards work to contribute to the development of an international standard. Unfortunately it is proving difficult to getting international agreement because the Danish Standard which is in extensive use in Denmark has features which countries beginning now do not wish to implement in the same way.