RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. To be simply explained, tags can be placed on items and these tags are then read by a radio transmitter called a reader. Essentially, information can be stored on these tags about the item and it is possible to find the exact location of the item if the reader is close enough. RFID technology has been used by the government in the past, as well as by stores to keep track of their inventory. RFID technology can easily be used in a library setting rather than using the bar coding system.
There are advantages to using RFID, including the following: it can be used as a security device, more than one book can be scanned at once, and the tag does not need to be on the outside of the book. RFID technology provides the ability to know when a book is on the shelf, has left the shelf, or is in incorrect order. Although this technology can be expensive, it can also be beneficial and convenient for librarians. But there is another negative, which is lack of patron privacy. RFID tags can be read by anyone who has a radio transmitter, but supposedly they cannot be read unless they are relatively close. Regardless, this provides a cause for controversy because the library is supposed to keep patron's records privacy. This then brings up the following question, is convenience and the latest technology more important than our patron's privacy and rights?
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