TLN Board Approves Adopting RFID Technology

The mission of The Library Network is to help libraries partner together to maximize access to library materials. Our core services include our shared library catalog and our delivery system, which together help libraries to share 1.5 million items a year. As sharing continues to grow TLN is looking to the future, and planning to assist libraries in adopting RFID technology, which will increase our ability to share resources.

Library cooperatives such as TLN were created to provide member libraries with shared services. This often means cooperatives offer services that individual libraries may find difficult or financially impossible to offer on their own. Adoption of RFID is one such service that TLN is now planning to take on as a cooperative group.

The TLN Board has approved a new project for all libraries in the TLN Shared Automation System (SAS) to move forward using Barcode/RFID combination tags. With funding approved we will continue planning for tagging new and existing items. A brief survey is coming soon for libraries to let us know their preferences on when, how, and what they want to tag.

A presentation at the Board meeting also briefly introduced planning for Automated Materials Handling (AMH) for the TLN building. That phase of project planning will be taken back to the Board separately, in the future, for funding approval. They are fully supportive of current planning.

Thanks to everyone who has worked on this so far! A great project to unify SAS library access to this technology. For more information, including discussion documentation, the Board presentation, and Frequently Asked Questions, check on the project planning page linked below.

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