3/3/2017 RFID Task Force Status Report

3/3/2017

Systems Working Group

Dennis Sun

Micah Jeffries (Unlicensed)

Renaldo Gjoshe (Unlicensed)

Renaldo Gjoshe (Unlicensed)recently provided a demo of setting up Alma RFID integration for 3M (notes and recording are available on the RFID task force pages). Though the process of configuring the integration in Alma is more or less the same for all libraries, the instructions for configuring each RFID station would depend on the RFID vendor.

The two other campuses that have RFID (Channel Islands (CI) & Monterey Bay) watched the demonstration, and we followed up with the team later to see where each campus was with testing.

Monterey Bay (MB) has reported that they've begun setting up the integration, but they need to set time aside to implement an RFID driver which accepts requests from Alma, as per Exlibris' documentation, which would allow Alma to change the RFID security bit.

Since MB and CI share the same system, they will work with the ExLibris and TechLogic developers to attempt creating the driver in question and fully test RFID integration with Alma. The team will follow up on progress during the mid-March RFID Task Force call.

Fresno also reported that even though they've successfully tested RFID integration with Alma, they do not plan to use it how Exlibris envisions it. In conversations with Exlibris and 3M developers, Fresno realized that Alma will not automatically read the RFID barcode when an item is placed on the RFID pad. Instead, the user needs to click on the blue RFID icon for every item that they want to read. Fresno Systems folks have discussed with the Access Services staff, and have determined that it's better at this time to use a separate piece of software that 3M makes available to do the "flipping" of the security bit from on/off and vice versa. In conclusion, even though 3M RFID integration with Alma has been tested for Fresno, a different method will be used to handle RFID, until better support is available from Exlibris, namely being able to "feed" the item barcode into Alma, as opposed to "requesting" it every time an item is placed on the pad. More on this here.

Renaldo Gjoshe (Unlicensed)suggested that this approach might also work with the TechLogic campuses, and Steve from MB confirmed that they also have a separate piece of software that can be used to "flip" the security bit. Regardless, the Techlogic campuses will attempt to test the integration how Exlibris has envisioned it and will decide which method works better.