These new tags are a result of the close relationship we have with the global RFID silicon producers, and have been re-engineered to be more energy efficient, operate over longer distances and provide responses to library equipment faster than ever before. Physically, they look identical to the previous tags and so there should be no change to the way you handle or apply them.

Within every bibliotheca RFID product (kiosk, AMH, gates, etc.) is some form of RFID reader that communicates with the tags at the lowest level, transferring information to and from. The new features (identified above) have meant some changes to the underlying protocol and so we have to update the software (firmware) within these readers to ensure they can communicate with the new tags.

Unfortunately, if the readers in your equipment are not updated then some (depending on age) will simply not read these new tags – which will clearly cause issues within your library.

The most simple test is to try one of these new tags and see if everything works as normal. At a kiosk, please check-in or check-out an item and ensure the software reports that it correctly completed the transaction. At a staff station, try programming one of the new tags and then activating the security. Finally, test the security-activated tag in your gates to ensure it is detected.

No, it’s a very simple procedure that can be handled in-house by any library staff that know their way around a computer. Full details on the upgrade procedure are available via your local helpdesk staff. Of course, if you are planning an engineer callout for another issue or installation then the team may be able to schedule some time to handle the update for you.

Hardware, Software Service and Support

t: 800.328.0067
e: support-us@bibliotheca.com