[Publib] Re: RFID and Barcodes

[Andy Barnett]

We are not going RFID any time soon since bar code self-check is so simple 
and doesn't involve all the extra issues that RFID does, but I see two issues.

Our library is part of a forty library shared system and we share a lot of 
materials. For 2008, 20% of our circ comes from materials owned by other 
libraries and our rate is lower than most of the libraries in the system. 
Any item that showed up here without a bar code would be basically useless. 
If you share materials, one library can't eliminate bar codes until it 
doesn't cause a legacy problem elsewhere.

Also, without a bar code, what happens when the RFID tag fails (yes, they 
have quoted life spans), are removed or vandalized? Suddenly, you have a 
copy of John Grisham's latest and no idea which copy it is. Since the RFID 
serves as security, there is an incentive to remove/disable it that is not 
present with bar codes.