Smart chips make their way into library

By Marianna Noceti
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer

The digital tag, or smart chip, which will be placed on books in the library is spurring controversy.

The smart chip (RFID: Radio Frequency Identification) contains the item identification number, which allows librarians to locate missing books, be more efficient in organizing the shelves and students will be able to check-out books without assistance.

In the 1990s the library purchased a self-check-out machine to save time, but students were unhappy with it and there were too many technical problems.

The dean of the library is pulling for a new model of the self-check, but Associate Dean of CSULB Library Services, Henry Dubois said it is uncertain whether it will be apart of the remodel.

"I'm still dubious about whether library users will choose to use it, even now when the technology is perfected," Dubois said.

Privacy problems were the main issue presented to the company, 3M Innovation. People are worried that the information stored on the smart cards and the information transmitted through the chips can be witnessed by others. The library is now concerned that students will react in the same manner and assume that others will know what books have been checked out by whom, said Associate Dean of the library Henry Dubois.

"Our system does not do this, it just tells if the book is available," Dubois said.

The chip uses radio frequency to transmit information but can only travel a short distance, a few feet. The company's press release states that tracking a student's visit would not be easy, unless a number of RFID readers have been installed. This would be costly and unbeneficial to the library, said 3M Innovation.

Another concern brought to the attention of the company was third party access, which could occur if they know the format of the tag, the vendor, and how to interpret the information successfully. If all of these factors could be achieved, RFID tags usually do not contain the name of the book, just a number. This number is stored in the library in the library database.

"What people don't know is that we've had a smart chip system for two years now, and there haven't been any problems," Dubois said. Both children's literature and the thesis section contain the chips.

The Board of Trustees has yet to approve the $31 million plan to re-construct the library.

"The actual construction is not likely to start until the last part of next summer," said Dr. Richard Outwater, special assistant to the provost. This new delay has been placed on the project due to the governor's missing signature on California's budget.