RFID tags

RFID Label

An essential component of the RFID system is a special tag, called a transponder. This tag, mostly self-adhesive, is made of thin paper or plastic. It has an inductive path and an electronic circuit (chip) applied on its surface, from which information can be read, using radio waves.

Depending on the type of the RFID system, rewritable or non-rewritable tags can be used. In both cases, though, passive tags are used, which means that they have no independent power source. They use the energy of radio signals, by means of which the reading is made. RFID tags are seen as the successors of the traditional bar code.

It is necessary to place adhesive tags on the entire collection and to assign bibliographic identification numbers to records. The best and safest place for a tag is inside the cover page, near its back, a few centimetres from the bottom edge. Using the RFID tag, data can be copied from a bar code, or entered from the existing integrated library system. The reader is equipped with a transceiver antenna, intended for the reading of RFID tags. Radio waves activate the tag when it enters the field and reads the information stored on it, which is received by the reader. Depending on the option selected, readers can record information about book borrowing on a tag without triggering an alarm. In the case of an additional security system operation the book requires electromagnetic deactivation or activation with a specially designed device.

 

RFID TAGS PROCESSING

The processing station is used to automatically record data, related to a relevant item, onto a RFID tag. Entering data onto a tag is performed using an RFID reader and a special Lib-Soft Manager application. The communication between the software and library software is based on SIP 2 Standard Interchange Protocol v.2.00. The unmodified form of this protocol is required for the proper operating and functioning of the RFID technology.
 

RFID readers with the RFID tags’ encoding application are mostly installed in the documents processing department. The application enables automatic data processing from the library system, by setting safety flags – EAS Bit – at the same time. This application can also be used to introduce new items into the system.

RFID tags are processed at the RFID processing station. Depending on library possibilities, there are two suggested solutions for data processing:

  • processing without connecting to the data bank - in this case, a bar code is read from the medium and its number is stored in the RFID transponder.
  • processing by connecting to the data bank - data from the database can be additionally recorded on the RFID transponder.

The advantages of RFID tags:

  • read / write, i.e. the possibility of multiple recording and reading of information;
  • reading takes place at a distance, when an object is within antenna range;
  • the tag can be placed inside an item, which allows for a safe and discreet place for it, thus increasing its durability;
  • the antenna can also read multiple media within one cycle;
  • variety of tags enable labelling of different types of items (books, magazines, CDs, cassettes, boxes, maps, etc.);
  • large capacity of tag memory, up to 1024 bits;
  • tags operate at the a frequency of 13.56MHz.