Empirical Research on Applicability of RFID System to Large Library

RFID技术是即将到来的普适计算时代的核心IT技术。它具有非接触式通信、大容量存储、无需电池等特点，可以应用于磁卡、条码等已提供的多种服务。图书馆是这项技术的一个很有前途的应用领域，因为图书馆的工作，特别是处理材料，是耗时耗力的。减少库存时间和柜台数量对图书馆来说是一个很大的好处。本研究的目的是探讨RFID系统对中大型图书馆的影响，其中RFID标签系统的发展趋势调查是本研究的一个重要对象。我们走访了国内外图书馆和RFID相关厂商，交流信息和意见。我们还参观了AUTO-ID Expo等RFID相关展览。我们在九州大学图书馆筑紫分支安装了RFID标签系统，并调查了 关于我们 ID标签到库作业。我们首先在大约5,000本书上贴上13.56MHz的标签，然后又贴上了2万个ID标签。作为结果，我们知道，自助结账机和图书检测系统实际上是有用的操作程序，并与条形码扫描仪的时间相比，使用方便的RFID阅读器检查图书大大减少了检查时间。我们也认识到一些问题。例如，由于现有的RFID阅读器不足以在多个方向上准确地检测多个RFID标签，因此使用智能书架无法实现实时库存，因此我们在一些RFID阅读器制造商的帮助下，研究了具有新型高精度RFID阅读器的智能书架对新图书馆服务的适用性。我们的实验表明，智能书架是足够准确地检测到所有的RFID标签附着在书架内的书籍，即使有些书是倾斜或水平放置。此外，当一本书从书架上取下时，我们可以立即发现它的缺失，因为读者只检测书架内的标签。当我们将标签贴在大约6毫米厚的薄期刊上时，准确性相当低。但是，当我们在期刊的两个不同的位置上交替贴标签时，准确率会急剧提高。这种智能书架将使图书馆能够提供新的图书馆服务，例如具有更精确图书位置的OPAC，尽管目前许多图书馆为了节省人力而引入RFID系统。少

RFID technology is a core IT technology in the coming ubiquitous computing era. It has great features such as contactless communication, big memory, battery-less and so on. It will be used many services that have been provided with magnetic cards and barcordes. The library is a promising application field for the technology, since the library work, especially dealing with materials, is time- and labor-consuming. Reduction of time for inventory and number of counters will be a great benefit for libraries. The goal of this research is to investigate the effect of the RFID system to middle and large libraries.The trend survey of RFID tag systems is an important object of this research. We have visited domestic and foreign libraries and RFID related makers to exchange of information and opinions. We have also visited RFID related exhibitions, such as AUTO-ID Expo.We have installed a RFID tag system to the Chikushi branch library of Kyushu University Library, and investigated the effect of … More the ID tags to library jobs. We started by attaching 13.56MHz tags to about 5,000 books, and then additional 20 thousand ID tags have attached. As the results we know that self-checkout machines and book detection systems are practically useful with operational procedures, and that checking books with a handy RFID reader reduce drastically checking time compared to time with a barcorde scanner. We have also recognized some problems. For example, real-time inventory is impossible using intelligent bookshelfs, because existing RFID readers are not enough to detect many RFID tags in many orientations simultaneously.So we have investigated the applicability of intelligent bookshelfs with new, highly accurate RFID readers to new library services with the help of some RFID reader maker. Our experiments show that the intelligent bookshelf are accurate enough to detect all RFID tags attached to books within the bookshelf, even if some books are inclined or laid horizontally. Moreover, we can find absence of a book right away when it is taken from the bookshelf, since the readers detect only tags within the bookshelf. When we attach tags to thin periodicals with around 6mm thick, the accuracy is quite low. However, the accuracy is increasing drastically, when we attach tags on two different positions of the periodicals alternately. Such intelligent bookshelves will enable library to provide new library services, such as OPAC with more precise book positions, although currently the RFID system is introduced into many libraries for the sake of laborsaving. Less