Library RFID Project

(January 24) Library RFID Project Introduces Self-Check-Out Stations, Payment Kiosks, and More

Sequoyah Regional Library System (SRLS) is nearing the completion of a system-wide project which involves adding radio-frequency identification (RFID) to its collection of books and materials, offering several improvements to the community’s library-going experience.

RFID technology enables SRLS to increase the speed and efficiency of item circulation, security, and distribution by installing self-check-out and payment kiosks inside its locations in Cherokee, Pickens, and Gilmer Counties. SRLS staff began prepping for this transition in September 2021 by placing RFID tags inside each of the thousands of items in the library’s collection of books, CDs, movies, and other materials. These tags allow library materials to be recognized by the new self-check-out kiosks at each library and instantly checked out to a library card. Patrons can also pay fines associated with their library account at each self-check-out kiosk using a credit/debit card and the kiosks’ easy-to-use touchscreen interface.

Other improvements offered by the switch to RFID technology include the ability for library staff to quickly scan dozens of items at once using handheld RFID wands, drastically decreasing the amount of time needed to inventory materials and locate lost or misplaced items while increasing the accuracy of the SRLS website’s online catalog. RFID gates installed at the entrances of each library ensure that all materials borrowed by patrons are correctly reflected in the system.

Six of the seven SRLS locations completed the tagging of their materials between September 2021 and January of 2022. Pickens Grab & Go (a temporary library location available while the Pickens County Library building is closed for renovation and expansion) will complete the RFID conversion of their materials by the end of February 2022. “We’re so excited to share these cutting-edge self-check-out stations with our community”, says Angela Cortellino, Executive Director of Sequoyah Regional Library System. “We hope they’ll provide a fun, fast, safe, and seamless experience for all who visit our libraries.”