The Adoption and Implementation of RFID

Abstract

Background. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) offers tracking capability to locate equipment, supplies and people in real time, and provides efficient and accurate access to library transactions such as book search, borrow, book return, etc. However, the adoption of RFID in libraries lags behind earlier expectations. Objectives. A formal innovation-decision framework is used to analyze the literature on the use of RFID in libraries. The purpose is to identify common applications, potential benefits, barriers and critical success factors. This paper seeks to offer quick assessment of RFID in libraries and provide guidance for researchers and practitioners in adopting RFID in libraries. Results. Many earlier adopters in libraries found RFID to be functional and useful in such areas as asset tracking and item identification. Major barriers to adoption include technological limitations, interference concerns, prohibitive costs, lack of global standards and privacy concerns. A better designed RFID system available at a low cost and that addresses privacy issues is needed to increase the adoption of RFID in libraries