Malaysia’s First RFID Library System Implemented with Tags from UPM Raflatac

Penang Public Library is Malaysia’s first library to use an RFID system compliant to the EPC Global Gen2 standard. The system, implemented by Smartag Solutions Bhd., uses RFID tags supplied by UPM Raflatac.

There are roughly 500,00 copies of reading materials in six different libraries in Penang, and more than 800,000 library users. A successful RFID project now provides Penang Public Library Corporation with optimal performance through a unique combination of technologies.

The Library Tagging system from Smartag Solutions uses UPM Raflatac’s DogBone tags, which ensure that accurate readings taken in a split second can be documented using RFID Inventory Management. The RFID technology provides Penang Public Library Corporation with a fast, accurate means of gathering inventory information on large quantities of library materials.

With the RFID system, the library has realized its vision of a fully automated library. The RFID self check-in/out station is an easy to use interface which enables library patrons to manage their own transactions, review their account status and renew materials in real time.

“The tagged library materials enable patrons to self-checkout and return materials quickly and efficiently. There’s no more barcode scanning or date stamping – items are placed on the RFID reader, and within seconds the material and user information are updated in the library system,” says Shukriah Yon, director, Penang Public Library Corporation.

The UHF reader, which is an anti-theft component of the RFID Library System, has a range greater than an HF reader, providing functionality at up to seven metres. A computer instructs the reader to detect tagged books that don’t have a checkout code, and an alarm is triggered when items pass through that haven’t been coded as borrowed.