PRAYAGRAJ: After a long gap of around 12 years, the authorities of Allahabad University (AU) have once again initiated the effort to equip its central library with radio frequency identification system (RFID)technology. The technology would enable the users to locate any book from the huge treasure of around 7.5 lakhs books in the library at a mere click of a mouse. Moreover, it would check the cases of book-theft from the library.
A proposal worth Rs 1.10 crore has been sent to the ministry of education by the varsity authorities, and once the funds are sanctioned, the work to set-up the technology would begin.
Earlier, it was in 2008 when the then HRD minister, Arjun Singh had announced sanctioning an amount of Rs 10 crores for up-gradation of the central library. Singh was at AU as the chief guest of an alumni function, and he had announced while speaking at the Senate Hall of the Arts faculty. However, only half of the promised money was sanctioned to AU, and the concept of RFID was never initiated at the library.
Sources inform that the technology uses a set of stripes, which when placed inside the pages of a book, gets self-dissolved. After that, any user can trace the book by placing it on the machine which reads its signals and the user can also log the book or make entries related to it on the software supporting the unique RFID of each book. RFID automated material handling systems also helps accelerate the process of returning books to library shelves faster.
However, experts in the field of library science have some reservations on the RFID technology in the context of AU. “It is debatable whether AU central library is ready for the sophisticated technology as it would need every student to pass through a ‘gate’ (something like the metal detector gate). How safe it would be among the students and for how long it would keep working is hard to tell”, says a senior former faculty member of AU. “That may be one reason why universities like Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, Delhi University etc. have not gone for this technology,” he added.
But, AU has sent the proposal to the ministry of education. Once the funds are sanctioned, efforts to integrate the technology within the current library set-up would begin in earnest.
“The technology is beneficial when it comes to tracing a particular book from the stack area or maintaining the inventory of the book. Besides, this would put a check to the practice of stealing books from the library. Presently our guards at the gate frisk the students who are supposed to keep their bags deposited at the pigeon box at the gate”, said AU Librarian, Dr BK Singh.