Published on May 23, 2005

Students and teachers will be more comfortable using library services with the addition of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into the library database system.

The National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre’s Thailand IC-Design Incubator (TIDI) has developed RFID to improve the quality of library services.

Watcharakorn Noothong, an assistant researcher at TIDI, said RFID will be a new experience for library users, enabling them to access the entire library service by themselves.

Searching for books they want to borrow, taking them from the shelf, checking them out - nothing is a problem because people can complete all procedures electronically within a few seconds at a “self-borrowing” counter.

A 2x2-inch RFID tag, including a small IC chip and antenna, will be embedded in books and bookshelves. The tag in the book contains information including its title, type, author, specific remarks and borrowing records, while those on bookshelves will include information on shelf category and subject area.

An RFID reader, meanwhile, will be installed at a self-borrowing kiosk machine and at the main gate to read that information.

When users go to the information kiosk to search for a specific book or to make a book reservation, the machine will print out location information for that book and a shelf number to search. Once they get a book and go to the self-borrowing counter, they just identify themselves with a smart identity card.

The system will automatically check information, remove the theft-prevention signal from the chip and record borrowers’ details and the period of the loan.

“After completing the process, when users go through the main gate, which is embedded with an RFID reader, any book in hand will automatically be authenticated. In the case of theft, when they go thorough the main gate a voice signal will inform officers,” said Watcharakorn.

With the new technology, users can complete the borrowing procedure in a few minutes.

When they return a book, they just leave it in a book-drop machine, which is also embedded with an RFID reader. A detector will automatically note the details and turn the theft-prevention signal back on.

TIDI has developed the RFID reader for use at the main gates of the library.

Watcharakorn said that normally the RFID reader installed at the main door is long-range reader, which can communicate at a distance of 10 metres at high frequency, but TIDI is planning to adapt a short-range RFID reader, which can communicate within 10 centimetres, to work as long-range reader.

The development is to reduce the cost of investment in readers installed in main gates of libraries that mostly use imported readers, which cost Bt300,000 each.

Instead, the cost of the local development is only Bt150,000.

A prototype is expected within six months, and a field trial at the National Science and Technology Development Agency, as an access-control application, is planned.

Previously, TIDI developed short-range readers for access control purposes. It has already licensed technology to a company named Forward System for commercial production.

“The company will develop commercial products for use as control access systems in Thailand Science Park’s car park this month,” said Watcharakorn.

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation

asina@nationgroup.com

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