XClose

UCL News

Home
Menu

Building a library service around your needs

1 February 2017

UCL Library Services has recently come to the end of its three-year project to install self-service facilities using RFID tagging across all our libraries.

Building a library service around your needs The result that you can see in UCL libraries are the machines (pictured) which enable you to check books in and out as long as the library is open.

What is RFID?

Small Radio Frequency Identity (RFID) tags contain information stored electronically and use electromagnetic fields to identify and track the objects they're attached to.

Why did we embark on this project?

The goal of introducing self-service machines was to enhance our customer service, enabling:

  • a 24-hour service
  • reduced queues at help points
  • more time for staff to answer queries and provide support
  • faster re-shelving of returned books
  • better stock control to identify lost or out of place reading materials

Installing self-services machines means you can borrow and return materials at any time of day or night, whenever the library is open.

The aim was to also reduce queues at library desks, which would allow staff to move away from routine transactions and focus on answering queries and providing front-line help.

At our largest sites - the Main and Science Libraries - we also introduced an automated book sortation device which partially sorts returned material into various collection bins. This is helping us to get the books back on the shelves faster.

By linking RFID technology with the Library Management System we've been able to create an intelligent stock control system which staff can use to identify 'lost' or out of place material by reading tagged material on the open shelves. The system is also helping us to weed out obsolete materials.

How did the project work?

The migration to using RFID tags and self-service machines across all sites was done by grouping our libraries into three phases. We kept a full service running throughout the project. To limit disruption we scheduled as much of the work as possible during the summer months, which are much quieter. At the larger libraries the introduction of the self-service machines was also a catalyst to completely redesign library desk areas to improve efficiency.

What were some of the challenges of the project?

There were 342,000 items to tag in the Main Library alone. One of our key challenges was how we managed the installation of new RFID tags to each individual item and keep the service running efficiently without disturbing users in libraries while this work was happening. As not all the books could tagged at the same time a process was set up to ensure that all returned materials which hadn't been tagged remained separate.

An extra complication was that we aimed to complete as much of this work during the summer holidays and worked on multiple sites, so that the project team had to coordinate their activities to move staff and equipment from one site to the next. This was a process that was successfully repeated three to four times each summer, ensuring that stock at all libraries was processed within the project deadlines.

In a number of cases, the team had to deal with project delays causing the completion of work to run close to the start of term because we could only guestimate the number of books in libraries. We now have a really accurate picture of how many books each library contains!

What was the impact?

The self-service machines have created more flexibility for how and when library services can be used. From a library staff perspective, the reduction in material to be issued and returned at a traditional staffed desk has led to a change of role. Although the desk remains a component of the overall service (for enquiries, processing of holds and issuing of Store items for example), our library teams have expanded their remit to off-desk assisting, helping with the use of Multi-Function Devices (MFDs), providing assistance with routine ISD queries, and continuing to provide excellent customer service.

Feedback

What do you think of our service? We'd love to hear things we've done well and area's you'd like us to improve. Email library@ucl.ac.uk

Read more about current UCL Library Services projects.

Karen Flood, UCL Library Services