Residents won’t notice much of a change in service at the Independence Twp. library, but workers there will certainly be aware of the difference, or actually a lack of one.
The Independence Township Board of Trustees recently approved $74,282 for the purchase of 3M RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) equipment.
RFID equipment is the scanning system used by library employees at the circulation counter to check in and out materials. The equipment allows employees to log material simply by passing the item over a scanner.
Originally, the library was planning and saving to install the system for the 2003 and 2004 fiscal years. The goal was to increase circulation by 49 percent.
However, 3M selected the Independence Twp. Library as a test site for its new RFID equipment. The company would provide all of the equipment, while the library only had to purchase the tags for the materials.
Library personnel were able to implement the new system completely from the start using the saved money for the township’s contribution.
‘The RFID is great. We all love it,? said Molly Lynch, Library Director. ‘It has exceeded our expectations.?
The test session has come to an end with 3M and the company has offered for the library to purchase the most up-to-date system at a significant discount. The discount will allow the library to purchase an additional equipment and still remain around $2,500 under budget.
Approximately $76,800 ($45,000 in budget, $28,000 for a self checkout and $3,800 contributed by Friends of the Library) was set aside for purchase of this equipment. The board approved the following equipment for $74,282:
? Five staff workstations
? Two digital library Assistant handhelds
? Digital data manager-software
? Two selfchecks
‘Two oak cabinets for the selfchecks.
Currently, the library would only need the second selfcheck during high peak times. However, Lynch recommended purchasing the device while the discount is available. She said in a memo that once tags become available for DVDs and CDs, the checkout will be a necessity.