RFID

Since DP was originally created in the mid- to late-1980's a lot of new technologies have emerged. We are always looking for ways to automate processes for staff and have for a couple of years been monitoring the use of RFID, radio frequency ID. The whole premise of RFID is that a microchip is embedded in a tag that allows for electronically getting information about the tagged item. RFID was around way before the launch of DP but with its increasing use in such things as passports, toll booths, and public transportation stations the price of the tags is going down so it is starting to have a lot of appeal in the ILS (Integrated Library System) market. Using this technology, the ILS can be set up to read these tags and automatically check in items. Unfortunately, the tags are still quite expensive so with over 3 million items we'll have to sit back and wait before pursuing adapting DP to integrate with RFID tags.
Susan