Provides an overview of 3M's whitepapers on RFID. Includes: RFID basics; RFID technology ; and RFID in action. Presented at the SLIC/JISC RSCs in Scotland RFID event held in Glasgow on 17 Sept 2008.
11. 3M System Architecture Designed for the Future C - Series French Format Plug-in Danish Format Plug-in Finnish Format Plug-in Dutch Format Plug-in Future Format Plug-in 3M Format Plug-in 812 Conversion Station 3M Tag Data Manager Conversion Station 946 Staff Workstation 895 Staff Workstation R - Series Digital Library Assistant V - Series
12.
Notas do Editor
To start things out, I’d like to say that RFID systems have been a terrific benefit for libraries. When they work well, they can increase the productivity of librarians and let them focus on the value-added tasks they were trained to do. These systems can also increase customer service and satisfaction. And they can help libraries control their costs. However, RFID systems don’t always work well. While it may be noticed by some, it is something that hasn’t been discussed as much as it should be. The discussion has been limited because the problem wasn’t evident at first…and then wasn’t easy to diagnose…and some of the customers were reluctant to draw attention to problems in a technology that many of them had strongly recommended. The problem was that some tags began to degrade. The read ranges shortened…and then shortened again…and then the tag failed. And when the tag fails, the system fails. Libraries were understandably surprised. They had bought tags from a reputable supplier…someone with years of RFID experience…and the tags were compliant with the requirements established by the International Standards Organization, or ISO. What they came to understand is that all tags are not the same. All ISO-compliant tags are not the same. They are based on different designs…they use different materials…they are fabricated using different methods…and consequently some last longer and perform better than others. Over the next 10 minutes, I’d like to explain some of the differences among tags, how those differences can affect your system and what you should look for when you’re considering a tag purchase.