January 1, 2012 (Vol. 18, No. 1) – Happenings

New RFID Project to Improve Customer Service at WCCLS Libraries

During the first week of 2012 the Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS) will begin converting the Cooperative’s 1.6 million-item collection to a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tagging system. According to WCCLS Director, Eva Calcagno, “The ultimate goals of the RFID project are to improve customer service, productivity, and security by deploying RFID tags and equipment to all WCCLS member libraries over the next six to eight months”.

The RFID project will enable WCCLS to upgrade old security gates or install new gates where needed at every library, upgrade staff workstations to be RFID-enabled, upgrade or replace current self-service checkout machines, and purchase and place RFID tags on 1.6 million library items. The project is funded from accumulated savings and dedicated technology reserves.

Calcagno explained the direct impact that WCCLS will experience converting to the RFID system, “Every day, WCCLS member libraries handle about 50,000 checkouts and returns (not counting renewals). Each of those items is handled by staff four to ten times depending upon the type of transaction and whether or not it is to be shipped to another library location. By eliminating just two steps in the process, the WCCLS libraries will save over 36 million repetitive motions a year.”  Similarly, patrons will be able to quickly checkout multiple items at one time simply by placing them on the self-service scanners.

RFID tagging offers a tremendous savings for member libraries by increasing staff efficiency, as well as helping to get borrowed items back and into the hands of waiting patrons much faster. It will also enable staff to conduct regular inventories of collections, something that is cost-prohibitive with the current barcode tagging system.

The first week of January 2012 a team of ten WCCLS temporary workers will begin the RFID tagging of approximately 95,000 items at the Hillsboro Library Shute Park branch. Once this initial phase is complete the team will move on to the Hillsboro Main Library, and then over the course of the next six to seven months all 15 of the WCCLS member libraries will be converted to the RFID system. Installation of security gates and other equipment upgrades will happen gradually as each library conversion is completed.

To learn more about the WCCLS RFID project, visit: www.wccls.org/RFID

The Washington County Cooperative Library Services (WCCLS), includes the: Banks Public Library, Beaverton City Library, Beaverton City Library @ Murray Scholls, Cedar Mill Community Library, Cedar Mill Community Library @ Bethany, Cornelius Public Library, Forest Grove City Library, Garden Home Community Library, Hillsboro Public Libraries (Main and Shute Park), North Plains Public Library, Sherwood Public Library, Tigard Public Library, Tualatin Public Library, and West Slope Community Library.

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