RFID is an acronym for “radio‐frequency identification”, a wireless technology that can identify individual items. Pandian begins RFID for Libraries by explaining the history, adoption and standardization of RFID technology across a range of industry sectors, not just libraries. He then discusses applications of RFID technology in a library context, arguing that it has the potential to make library processes more efficient. This is largely because an RFID system integrates several different functions into a single system, including self‐check out, check in, theft detection, and locating mis‐shelved books. In contrast, traditional bar code‐based circulation systems needed to be used in conjunction with a separate system for theft detection.
The third chapter assesses the library‐related RFID offerings from different vendors, with extensive illustrations of their components. The fourth chapter discusses what is involved in implementing an RFID system in a library, using a detailed case study based on Pandian's experience at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences Library in Chennai, India. This includes a frank discussion of issues that occurred during the implementation, concluding with suggestions to make it easier for other libraries to implement a similar system. The final chapters provide further discussion of general issues that may arise during an RFID implementation project, and speculation about the future of RFID technology. The book concludes with a list of references and an index. There are many illustrations and diagrams.
While the topic of the book is likely to be of interest to many library managers or systems librarians, since RFID systems are increasingly common in modern libraries, I do have some concerns about its quality and its content. First, the review of current RFID offerings is likely to date quickly. In addition, many of the illustrations of the various components are small, and give no indication of the actual size of the devices. Second, the index is uneven in quality, with a number of general terms such as “Circulation” followed by a long list of page numbers. In addition, the index terms include both singular and plural forms of the same word (for example, “reader” and “readers”), which suggests that the index was compiled quickly, did not adhere to standard practice, and was not edited for standardization. The inclusion of authors' names from text references in the index is also puzzling. Finally, though some of the illustrations and diagrams are credited to other sources, there is no statement that they have been reproduced with permission from the copyright holder.
The most valuable part of the book is the case study, but this would have been better used as the basis of a practitioner‐oriented journal article, which could have been published more quickly and disseminated more widely. My overall assessment of this book is that it does not represent value for the money; Palmer's Making the Most of RFID in Libraries (Facet, 2009) would be a better choice.
