I recently participated in a discussion about how to deal with patrons who are nervous about the health effects of RFID. We all know RFID is harmless, right? My answer is that if you are concerned about EMF (electomagnetic radiation exposure), then library RFID tags should be the least of your worries. Notice that I'm not saying RFID is harmless...
I've suggested many times that somewhere along the way, we are going to need to find a way to test the encoding of our RFID tags. Now that we have a US Data Model, libraries need to be able to ensure that their encoded tags comply with ISO 28560-2. At this point, the only company that I know of that can do such a thing is Convergent Software (out of the UK).
I haven't talked much about filters lately as it seems that they have just quietly found their way into some libraries or have been decidedly eliminated from consideration in others (San Jose Public being one of the more public examples). But every once in a while something comes through the newsfeed that really points out the importance of paying attention to what is happening with filters in some libraries and, in this case, some schools.
I wasn't able to attend the Urban Library Council's Annual Forum but I was happy to read the highlights in their newsletters. ULC reported that political commentator, Donna Brazile, launched the Forum with a rousing call to arms, " This is a moment for libraries to soar and shine...This is a moment when leaders emerge" and then Brazile proceeded to describe key ingredients to effective leadership:
Yesterday the Exhibit Hall opened and I spent some time with vendors learning what's new. Here's what I found out.
Envisionware has a new(ish) kiosk along the lines of Evanced BranchAnywhere. It was debuted at PLA but I guess I missed it. It's a nice looking product. Three models available in varying capacities: 200, 400, 800. The one on display is the 400 item model. What I like about this product is its simplicity. No giant cranes for putting the items that are returned back in the slots. Instead returns are sorted into one of 5-6 bins inside so staff can quickly grab the right bin to do whatever needs to be done (e.g. reload the items in one bin, take this bin back to the library to fill holds, etc).
I am one of several consultants participating in the free consulting sessions being provided as part of the Consultants Give Back programs delivered at the major conferences. The date for CGB at ALA Anaheim is Sunday, June 24th from 1:30-5:30 at the Conference Center, Room 203B.
I had hoped that our co-sponsors (ASCLA and PLA) would provide a handy webpagethat listed the consultants participating but evidently simple webpages are hard to come by! Instead, there is a downloadable PDF (grrrr) circulating (somewhere) as a press release. Good luck finding it!
So, for your convenience, I offer the following list. Please contact the consultant directly if you'd like to make an appointment at the Conference.
Lori Bowen Ayre, The Galecia Group
The objective of the new U.S. Data Model for RFID (NISO Document RP-6-2012) is to create an environment where every library can use every other library’s RFID tag regardless of the supplier. In addition, hardware from any RFID vendor should be interoperable and the systems should be free from proprietary interfaces that make the hardware work with any given ILS. If libraries adopt the U.S.
I've been participating in the Consultants Give Back (CGB) program at ALA and PLA since we started doing it a couple of years ago. The concept is to provide a short, free consulting session for libraries that might not otherwise afford a consultant. Or to answer some easy questions without having to get into a consulting contract. Or maybe you want to meet a consultant to see if they're someone you'd like to hire down the line. It's a win-win for everyone!
I try to steer clear of anything having to do with e-books. The whole thing just makes me mad at everyone involved: publishers, customers, libraries, everyone. The fact of DRM and the people that support DRM by virtue of buying DRM'd stuff is just plain wrong. I figure if I ignore it long enough it will all just go away and everyone will come to their senses. That's my strategy anyway. Well, here's someone who agrees with me.
NISO has finalized their recommendation and the U.S. Data Profile is finally resolved. They've settled on ISO 28560-2 which was the same recommendation in the version they released for public comment. I haven't had a chance to see if there are any changes but will keep you posted.
Having a U.S. Data Profile for Library RFID is fantastic for libraries. Now...all you have to do is put pressure on your vendors to transition your library to the new standard. Interoperability here we come!