Use of RFID in libraries

I have found this report "Personal Privacy and Use of RFID Technology in Libraries" by Vinod Chachra, CEO VTLS Inc and Daniel McPherson, FASTRAC Project Manager VTLS Inc.


7. Conclusion

The RFID tags in libraries offer the possibility of great increases in productivity and hold a promise of better service for the patrons. The tags are "powerless", have a very small read range, store a minimum amount of data and carry no patron data on the tags. All these actors make privacy concerns almost non-existent at this time. However, it is possible that in the future the tags will have a larger range and more data will be stored on them. This is a direction that should be avoided. The library should always exercise the option to not store any data considered "risky" for its patrons. Through the creation of standards and implementation guidelines, this is possible.

The greater danger to patron privacy comes from an improperly designed or implemented ILS. It is therefore important to work with a vendor that understands patron privacy concerns and builds systems that will minimize the risk for the patrons.

About VTLS Inc.
VTLS Inc. (www.vtls.com) is a leading global company that creates and provides visionary technology in library solutions. We have three distinctive divisions that provide these solutions to a diverse customer base of more than 900 libraries in over 32 countries. Our VIRTUA division remains focused on ILS solutions, our VTRAX division focuses on RFID type technologies, and our Digital Asset Creation & Management division provides cutting edge software and services for Digital Libraries. VTLS is also one of the few ISO 9001:2000 quality certified companies within the library industry.
VTLS Inc. is based in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA. VTLS Inc. also has offices in Brazil, Canada, France, India, Malaysia, Spain and Switzerland.