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Coventry Libraries Case Study

Coventry opens new chapter on library services

When the Coventry City Council decided it was time to undertake a major refurbishment programme for its Libraries and Information Services, they grabbed the bull by the horns and decided to totally revamp their technology.

Like many libraries, those in Coventry have been through a period of decline. Some five years ago an Audit Commission reported that the Library Service was 'poor and unlikely to improve', and usage was falling. The Council was determined to change this position and the Service became one of the leading Council priorities. In addition to a programme of refurbishments there was a drive to look at more effective ways of working and changes to layouts and work practices including reviewing the existing EM security systems.

So the decision was made and budget allocated to refurbish the libraries and Coventry decided that an RFID self-check system met all their security requirements and would create many opportunities for service improvement. Unlike many others in the industry who had just been experimenting with RFID technology, the council took the plunge to adopt RFID across the City's libraries in a rolling implementation taking a couple of years.

According to Coventry City Council's Assistant Head of Library and Information Services, Simon Rice, the Council had experimented with a non RFID self service system 18 to 24 months ago, but this had not been a huge success. However, lessons had been learned and when the decision was made to upgrade all the library systems they went through a rigorous tendering system.

"The main criteria were functionality, the ability to meet all our needs and cost," said Simon. "In January we started going through the tenders and selected SB Electronic Systems as they performed well on all our requirements with their Codeco supplied RFID system."

"The first library we intended to install the system in was Bell Green which was being refurbished and converted into a one-stop-shop operation. This project would lead to increased workload for staff and we wanted to introduce self issue to increase efficiency. As it turned out, because of project delays, Earlsdon Library was the first to go live with the new system, and this will be followed by Bell Green early in the New Year. Next we are expecting to roll out the system in a new joint venture school/public library to be opened in February then a purpose built library/learning centre/one stop shop in Tile Hill in late summer."

Simon said there was a lot of interest in the RFID technology from the industry and a  number of libraries had 'dipped a toe in the water' but few had gone for full blown implementation. "What sets us apart was the knowledge that we were refurbishing our buildings and expanding our services with a tightening budget, and we had a good knowledge of how we wanted to upgrade our systems. We had to perform more effectively to cope with an increased workload without expanding our staff. We also felt self-service gave customers more choice and that they would embrace the technology as it was consistent with other customer service industries such as banking and retail."

But self service is just one aspect of RFID technology, according to Simon. "We are currently looking at handheld scanners which will enable us to do a complete stock take of up to 30,000 books in half a day. We would, for example, end up knowing exactly which books are missing as the RFID is tied into our stock management system. It also gives us the ability to find books for the customers from the catalogue with considerable ease, along with a number of other benefits."

"This has been a very positive project, although a lot of questions have arisen as we went through the process of implementing the system. What has impressed us about SB Electronic Systems was their willingness to listen as issues have come up and to work closely with their equipment supplier Codeco to resolve these. But the real excitement for us is the potential of this system, with advances in deliverables expected to move very quickly during the next 12 to 18 months," he said.

SB is widely known in the UK for the Telepen barcode symbology, and for their Sentry Access Control product for academic libraries. The decision to introduce self-check equipment and RFID was a natural extension of their product portfolio into the library markets of the UK and Ireland. Codeco self-check equipment is widely used in Scandinavia and Northern Europe.

Paul Burchett, Managing Director of SB Electronic Systems said: "We are delighted to be working with Coventry City Council and proving the potential of RFID systems in libraries. We expect this technology to be widely adopted across UK libraries during the next few years."