I realise, even as I write, that the above reference probably only works with dog-lovers in the UK so apologies to what I now discover has rather rapidly become a global audience.

Email this morning from Hong Kong where Corrie Marsh, Associate University Librarian at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is in the latter stages of implementing a UHF solution. Corrie, whose RFID site can be found  here had been talking to Brian Green of Editeur about standards and such and was directed to the RFID guide (see panel) that Simon Edwards and I produced at the end of last year.

It will be very interesting to see how things progress. Whilst previously the technology was deemed unsuited to close quarter operations – like self-service – because of its much greater range, there have been murmurings about ways of solving that problem – although I have yet to see it working in a library.

There is a great deal of information on the web about the use of UHF in libraries in Singapore and Australia although interestingly one of the companies behind Australian UHF installations has chosen to deploy HF in the UK. Eager to understand how UHF deals with circulation I wrote to one of the Australian libraries that had implemented a UHF solution some time ago asking how they managed it but sadly so far no-one has replied.

That there will be a UHF alternative for libraries seems certain. The question is how should the market respond? Unlike the supply chain – where a tag lifespan need only be 6 months – libraries can and do keep items for many years. Some RFID suppliers have capitalised on librarian’s fears that tags will fail by emphasising the longevity of their tags and whilst this is a factor it pales into insignificance alongside the bigger question posed by UHF. “What if I can’t buy the tags I am using any more?” At least two US and one UK library  have already had to deal with a similar circumstance when the HF tags they were using were withdrawn from the market by their manufacturer.

I think the danger lies in the fact that libraries are a relatively small market. With no agreement on frequencies and data models it has become a small, fragmented market. To be large enough to matter I think we soon have to choose which frequencies, and which standards we are going to use. Then we might be big enough to guarantee future supplies. As a group we may also be able to find ways to advance when new technologies emerge – as they already are, even in the relatively safe world of 13.56MHz tags.

One other point that Corrie mentioned was my “criticism” of RFID suppliers. Which is a shame because I wasn’t trying to be. What I was trying to establish is that there is a gulf of understanding between the RFID innovators and suppliers – who are trying to promote the latest and greatest technologies, – and the librarians trying to provide a service without breaking anything.

It’s no-one’s fault that we are where we are. Or it’s everyone’s. Take your pick and then help to change it.

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