In the wave of digital transformation, the Taiwan Public Information Library is actively seeking innovative ways to improve service quality and efficiency. Recently, the library successfully deployed customized technology from EPC Solutions, which is based on ultra-high frequency RFID and artificial intelligence to achieve refined management of 600 journals, providing strong support for the library's subscription decisions.
Traditionally, libraries often rely on manual observation and experience to judge the reading of journals. However, this method is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also difficult to accurately reflect the actual reading of journals. Some magazines may be shelved for a long time because no one cares about them, while others may be in short supply due to their popularity. In order to break this dilemma, the Taiwan Public Information Library decided to introduce advanced RFID and AI technologies to achieve real-time tracking and intelligent analysis of journal usage.
EPC Solutions customized a UHF RFID solution for the library. The solution installed antennas on magazine racks and attached passive UHD RFID tags to each journal. These tags have unique ID codes that can be linked to the magazine's detailed information in the web-based software. When a reader picks up a magazine, the system can immediately detect this action and recognize through the software that the magazine is being read. The software then updates the status of the magazine to read and records the timestamp. In order to capture the tags when the magazine is put on the shelf, EPC Solutions installed two readers and eight antennas for each shelf.
With this solution, the library can not only understand the reading status of each journal in real time, but also analyze the reading habits and preferences of readers. For example, the system can identify which journals are most popular, which journals are read the longest, and which journals are frequently read in a specific time period. This information provides valuable decision-making basis for the library, enabling it to adjust subscription strategies according to the actual needs of readers, thereby saving costs and better serving readers.
In addition, the solution can also track the reading cycle and reading time of journals. By analyzing this data, the library can understand the popularity of journals and readers' reading interests. For example, some magazines may be read quickly when they are newly published, while others may take longer to be discovered by readers. Based on this information, libraries can optimize the display and storage strategies of journals to ensure that readers can easily find the journals they are interested in.
It is worth noting that this solution is not only applicable to journal management, but also has the potential to be promoted to other areas of the library. For example, libraries can consider applying this technology to the management of other media such as books and audio-visual materials to achieve more comprehensive and refined resource management.
The Taiwan Public Information Library's move to optimize journal management using RFID and AI technology is a beneficial attempt. By introducing advanced technical means, libraries can not only improve service quality and efficiency, but also better meet readers' reading needs. In the future, with the continuous development and improvement of technology, it is believed that this solution will be widely used and promoted in more libraries in Taiwan.
This paper is from Ulink Media, Shenzhen, China, the organizer of IOTE EXPO (IoT Expo in China)
