Library to Offer Self Checkout

There are some new faces at the Fort Saskatchewan Public Library – three staff members have been hired on a temporary basis to help implement Radio-Frequency Identification technology (RFID), which will help the Library launch new services, including self-checkout options for library users.

As part of the process, staff will place an RFID tag on each of the 51,000 items in the Library’s collection, a process that will take 4-6 weeks. Simply put, an RFID tag is a “barcode on steroids”: it is a tag that contains a microchip and antenna that stores identification and security information about the item it is attached to. The information on the tag is read by passing through a field of radio waves, and the information is read wirelessly and contact free.

Once all of the tags are in place, a self-checkout unit will be installed, along with staff units at the check-out desk. The self-check unit will allow Library patrons to check out their own items easily and quickly. Future phases of the project include the installation of automatic check-in chutes, another self-check unit, and theft prevention gates.

“Implementing RFID will have so many benefits for both our patrons and our staff,” says Angela Kublik, Library Director. “It will help us speed up processes such as check-out and check-in… Self-check will also help increase patron privacy, since people will have the option to check out items on their own.”

“This is a very important project for the Library,” says Matthew Fellows, Library Board Chair. “The Library Board has noticed that libraries with new or expanded facilities… often open to a huge surge in new users and use. This project will help us prepare for that increase in use.”

Funding for the project was provided by the City of Fort Saskatchewan. RFID technology is being implemented in libraries around the world, including public libraries throughout

L-R: The Library’s RFID team: Heather Martin, Cheryl Jordan, and Deanne Buck

the Capital Region.