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RFID in libraries. Q&A ISO TC46/SC4/WG11 RFID in libraries |
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Identifier: http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/docs/RFID-in-libraries-q-and-a/index.htm Hosted
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for Questions to: rfid@bs.dk Last
update: 5 September 2011 |
General RFID
What is RFID?
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a
set of technologies that enables tracking and monitoring activities to be carried
out using RFID transponders (often called tags) and invisible radio waves
without a line of sight. The read range
generally increases with an increase in the frequency used,
Commonly, the technology is employed to
track items such as pallets or cartons within a supply chain or warehouse. RFID is also used to identify animals, hospital patients, shipping
containers, laundry garments, airline baggage and so on. RFID for libraries is one of the most widely
implemented applications.
Why RFID in libraries?
RFID systems have been in existence within
libraries for many years. Various suppliers claim to have installed the first
RFID library system but it’s generally accepted that somewhere in the mid
1990’s, RFID appeared in a library somewhere in the world. During the last 10
years, usage has accelerated but penetration remains relatively low compared to
the total number of libraries. However,
the total number of libraries using RFID is significantly greater than in many
other sectors, resulting in the fact that the library sector is well beyond the
phase of innovators and is certainly well into the phase of early adopters.
RFID’s property of non
line-of-sight operation can be very useful within a library. If the barcode
traditionally used to identify library material is replaced with an RFID tag,
the library is immediately able to process multiple items simultaneously and
the tag can be located inside the cover in the case of printed material. No
longer does every item require individual handling. The resultant benefits to
libraries may be seen in the following areas:
·
Staff productivity
·
Customer service
·
Reduced materials handling for staff
·
New and improved collection management processes
·
Faster and more-intuitive self service options
What sort of RFID
technology is used in libraries?
The first challenge for a developer of
library RFID systems is the size and the cost of the tag. Libraries essentially
need a smart-label application that can be attached to library material in a
relatively unobtrusive way - a passive tag of some sort without a battery. The
tag needs to be flexible and durable. In the item security context, the tag
needs to be readable over a distance of at least half a metre. Libraries would
also like to be able to read tags in a stack of books very quickly so that the
productivity of library staff may be improved and the self-service experience
of library users may be enhanced.
The RFID reader technology is built into
several equipment pieces specifically for library use. These include:
·
Staff workstations for issue and returns
·
Self service issues equipment designed for
the library users
·
Security gates for theft detection
·
Portable devices for inventory and
collection management activities
·
Smart returns chutes or bins
·
Materials handling and sorting systems
RFID
Technology & Frequency Issues
Why the debate over
frequency for RFID in libraries?
The debate about frequency could not have taken place at the time that
the first libraries started to implement RFID systems. Then the only universally acceptable
frequency that met operational requirements was 13.56 MHz. In fact there was a mixture of standardised
and proprietary technology at that time.
Low Frequency is not really a contender because of the short read range. The
other contenders are UHF (860 to 960 MHz), and even RFID protocols at higher
frequencies, particularly 2.45 GHz, which seem to have failed to gain a
significant market. So let's consider UHF.
The first UHF air interface protocol standard was published in ISO/IEC
18000-6:2004 and this covered two types of tag. It was not until ISO/IEC
18000-6:2004/Amd 1:2006 that the standard was extended to cover Type C
tags. These are equivalent to the EPCglobal Class 1 Generation 2 tag specification, around which
a lot of exaggerated forecasts were made.
For example as ISO 28560 moves forward to publication, the forecasts
were that there would be trillions of Type C tags in use. Actually there are
possibly more library tags in use as we write than the total production of Type
C tags. So hyperbole about this RFID technology, the EPCglobal
system itself, and the prediction that tags would cost 5 cents has raised
interest in the Type C tag.
What is often not considered are the different characteristics of UHF technology
and the architecture of the Type C memory. These
include:
·
Significantly increased read range – not always appropriate
·
Different behaviour when the tag is surrounded by organic material: books
and people
·
A partitioned memory, with many tags still only providing 96 bits for a
unique identifier and no other memory
·
Tags compliant with ISO/IEC 18000-6:2004/Amd 1:2006 provide no selective
locking, even if more memory is provided
On the positive side:
·
Faster reading of the RFID tag
·
A greater number of tags can be read 'simultaneously'
·
Greater immunity to the tag-masking or
tag-shadowing problem affecting RFID tags in close proximity
UHF might have a role in future
library systems. The working group does acknowledge the interest
shown in UHF technology by libraries and also understands that the technology
is rapidly evolving. Any decision to support UHF has to be taken after a proper
evaluation of the technology and compare it with other options available at the
time – for example a new HF technology.
Why has the ISO working
group limited its scope to High Frequency systems?
The purpose of the new ISO standardised
data model is to increase the interoperability between RFID systems provided by
a range of suppliers. Unfortunately at this stage, there is no interoperability
between UHF based systems and systems built around HF technology. This lack of
interoperability goes well beyond the data model and involves issues of
fundamental technology. Also, the reality today is that the overwhelming
majority of currently installed RFID systems around the world are based on HF
platforms, particularly ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1.
Why do the ISO 28560
standards use 13.56 MHz as frequency?
Have libraries chosen the wrong technology?
The decision by the vast majority of libraries before the development and
publication of ISO 28560 was to support HF technology. This covered some proprietary and some
standardised technology. So it is not just an issue of frequency but of
specifying a particular air interface protocol.
As there has been an increasing focus on using
ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 tags, so the development of ISO 28560 could not ignore
this position. ISO 28560 now provides
the standardised platform for increased interoperability to enable existing
RFID implementations in libraries to migrate to a standardised solution and for
new implementations to adopt the standard.
The 13.56MHz frequency does offer a number of features that have
obviously been considered suitable for RFID for libraries and operating
successfully for a number of years. So
HF cannot be defined as the "wrong" technology. If, in future, a case is made for considering
either a different HF air interface protocol or adopting a different frequency,
then the standards will need to be reviewed accordingly.
When a book is sorted
out of the library – do we need to remove the tag or deactivate it?
The simple answer is "NO", both on the basis of the technology
and based on custom and practice. The 18000-3 Mode 1 has no features that
enable a tag to be rendered temporarily unreadable.
There has been discussion about the potential benefits of using chipless tag technology, what are the implications of this?
There have been many proposed developments of a chipless tag, which are part of a wider trend of printed
electronics. There is no doubt that the
millions of (whatever currency you like to name) that have been invested in R
& D in this area will eventually result in a technology worth considering.
As a press story (August 2011) about a university
development cited the chipless tag as the solution for
libraries – we won't mention the university here - we need to consider the
facts at the time of writing:
• There
are fundamentally different technologies being researched to produce the chipless tag.
• The
technology is still laboratory based, in terms of replacing conventional RFID.
• The
technology is generally proprietary, and protected by patents, which can be a
serious impediment to standardisation of the technology.
• By its
nature much of the technology is read-only, or encodable only once.
• The
tag "promoted" as a solution for libraries has a 24-bit
structure. To comply with AFI
requirements of ISO 28560, this leaves 16 bits for identifying a loan item, or
65535 different items if the existing human readable identifiers are abandoned.
• But if
all the code points are used, then there is no robustness in the system. As a reference the ISBN-
• For a
REAL WORLD application like library circulation it is essential to ensure that
there is sufficient robustness in the code structure. It is not evident yet with chipless tags.
If any library wants to take the risk of using a
24-bit code with no capability of re-writing data, not use standards, not have
any robustness in the technology to deal with communication noise, then the
solution recently being proposed for libraries is right. On the other hand, if
libraries want to progress step-by-step to more sophistication – and
potentially lower costs – with RFID technology, then stick with the
standardised rules for RFID at the technology level in ISO/IEC JTC1 SC31 and at
the library application level with ISO TC46.
Eventually, when chipless
technology becomes viable, libraries also need to avoid the trap of jumping
into a proprietary technology solution which locks them out of
interoperability. Almost every – sometimes good – proprietary bar code symbology and RFID technology has fallen by the wayside.
Eventually users realise that being locked in with one source of supply is not
a good thing.
RFID Standards
I thought there already was an ISO standard for RFID tags, so what does
this new ISO 28560 family of standards change or add?
There are numerous RFID
technology standards covering the air interface protocol, the tag architecture,
and even the data encoding rules. The
new ISO 28560 family of standards adds a completely different dimension. Part 1 defines the data elements, effectively
the data dictionary that is used for the application for RFID in
libraries. Parts 2 and 3 define
different encoding schemes, but both focus specifically on one air interface
protocol operating at 13.56MHz (see next answer).
Why do the ISO 28560
standards use the 13.56 MHz frequency?
ISO 28560 Part 2 and Part 3 both specify the same
13.56MHz air interface protocol which is ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 (which, in
turn, is based on ISO/IEC 15693). This
is by far the most common technology currently being used in RFID for libraries. On this basis it made complete sense to
provide a migration path from proprietary and national models to an
international standard based on the vast majority of existing RFID library
implementations.
My collection contains many RFID tags that are not ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1
compliant. Can this standard be used on those tags?
There are features in ISO 28560 Part 2 and Part 3
that rely upon the use of ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 compliant tags. If your library uses ISO/IEC 15693 tags these
use the same air interface protocol as 18000-3 Mode 1, but it might be relevant
to check that the tag supports the commands that are essential for RFID for
libraries. For example commands to read and write data are actually optional in the 15693 standard.
If your library uses another High Frequency (13.56
MHz) tag, and your RFID system provider intends to support ISO 28560 encoded in
18000-3 mode 1 tags, then there will be methods to distinguish between the
types of tag. This vendor-specific
method can be used to manage the transition to the new International Standard,
but it is more likely that ISO 28560 encoding rules might only be possible with
the 18000-3 Mode 1 tags. Your supplier
can provide more advice.
If your library is using a different RF frequency,
then interoperability with ISO 28560 will be a significant challenge.
I have been hearing
about UHF RFID. What about the EPCglobal standards?
UHF and HF (13.56 MHz) technologies are different
and not interoperable, so do not provide a cost-effective migration for any
library that has already implemented RFID. Like HF there are different UHF
standards and it is not clear which is certain to be the dominant technology in
the future. Most experts consider that ISO/IEC 18000-6 Type C (also known as EPCglobal Class 1 Gen2) will dominate, but for libraries
this might still not be the best solution. Memory is organised in a different
way (see answer to “Can ISO 28560 be applied to UHF?”) which presents
additional challenges. Then to add additional complexity, EPCglobal
has also sponsored the development of a new 13.56 MHz standard with the memory
structure similar to its UHF tag. The EPCglobal HF standard has yet to be published, but very
similar functionality is now provided by the new ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 3
technology. Finally, it is not clear which of these tag technologies the book
trade will adopt, and when such an adoption might take place. As there are many
uncertainties, ISO 28560 is firmly focussed on 13.56 MHz technology.
Will these standards address tag quality and longevity concerns?
The simple answer is "NO". References are made to a conformance standard
for the air interface (ISO/IEC TR 18047-3) and a standard that specifies
a method for testing tag performance (ISO/IEC 18046-3). This performance standard defines how to test
for some performance parameters, but does set any pass / fail values.
What is the life-time
of a RFID tag? Will the content disappear in a few years?
The technology standards do not specify an
expected life-time. However, the
manufacturers of the integrated circuits (the chips) and manufacturers of the
RFID tags, which include the antenna, make claims that tags can typically have
10,000 read/write cycles. There have
been claims for 100,000 cycles – even 1 million - and a life span of up to 40
years. Anyone purchasing RFID tags needs
to check with their vendors on the specific claims being made.
Does the use of RFID
pose any health problems?
The use of RFID is governed by strict regulations
on the power that may be emitted at the given frequency. This is the power is emitted by the reader
and the tags themselves have no power source and only function in proximity of
a reader. The regulations vary between regions and countries around the world,
but for 13.56MHz technology they are considered to be comparable and safe.
In some regions, a distinction is made between the
safety levels that apply to staff and members of the public. The exposure to staff using RFID is normally
set at higher limits, because the expectation is that safety regulations will
be covered in staff training. For
members of the public, the extent of exposure has to be lower because the
health conditions to the individual is unknown and their knowledge of RFID is
considered to be lower. Safe use by staff of RFID and design of RFID
self-service systems should mitigate any risks.
Will the price for RFID
tags fall in the future?
There are two factors that can contribute to a
reduction in the price of a tag, and two factors that might keep prices at the
same level or even higher. The price of
tags for 18000-3 Mode 1 could come down if market forces prevail. Currently, RFID for libraries presents the
largest single marketplace for RFID, but libraries are not necessarily
exercising their purchasing power as the largest customer base for the
tags. Another point that can contribute
to a price reduction, is that the particular type of
tag being specified in ISO 28560 has been available for some time. This means that research and development
costs should have been recovered and price can move to a cost-of-production
basis. This is quite complex to achieve,
because the RFID integrated circuit manufacturers are also spending R&D
resources on new tag technology. If the
customer base fails to exercise its opportunities with respect to supply and
demand, then there is no incentive for manufacturers to reduce the price. Prices might increase because of the
increased price of commodities that are used to make the RFID tags. Finally, a word of caution: the standards
specify basic rules but manufacturers make products to a specification. So it is important to ensure that tags are of
a sufficient quality for use in the application.
Can ISO 28560 be applied to UHF?
The data elements, specified in ISO 28560 Part 1,
are generally independent of any RFID technology issues including data
encoding. Whatever decision is made to support any different tag technology –
even a different 13.56 MHz air interface protocol, a significant review would
need to be undertaken. To introduce UHF technology as a migration from either
ISO 28560 Part 2 and / or Part 3 will most likely require additional parts to
be added to the ISO 28560 family.
Adoption & migration
Do I need to migrate to this standard?
There is no requirement to migrate to ISO 28560,
and its two different encoding rules.
However, a number of vendors have undertaken development to support the
standards and there is an increasing interest in achieving
interoperability. The choice still remains
with each library.
How can I be sure not to violate privacy?
This is a complex area, and subject to national
and even regional law (for example across the European Union). Generally such law applies to all of
RFID.
The key point to note, at the time of writing, is
that there are many different RFID library systems in operation and not being
challenged by the relevant authorities. There are a number of misunderstandings
about privacy and RFID, both from the lobbyist community concerned about privacy
and from the vendor community. The issue
is not simply about RFID technology, but the entire RFID system. There are
additional considerations in the entire library system that is subjected to
other legal requirements such as data protection. Earlier this year, the European Commission
circulated a consultation document and the European library community responded
to this. As developments take place,
this website will provide updated information.
As technology changes, how can we be assured that all systems with be
backward compatible?
There is no guarantee that all systems will be
backward compatible with any future changes.
On a more positive note, the standards have been written in a way that
provides the same potential for moving forward with changes in technology, as
have been supported for the migration from proprietary and national models to
ISO 28560. The most fundamental change
in technology will be the introduction of a new air interface protocol. When
the library community, through their national standards bodies, express that a
new technology needs to be considered, ISO TC46 SG4 WG11 RFID for Libraries
will give the matter serious consideration and widespread consultation.
There will also be ongoing technology changes
associated with the particular air interface protocol. If these are standardised, then they will be
considered but libraries need to be aware that if vendors introduce proprietary
features, these might be detrimental to interoperability for inter-library loan
purposes, and even interoperability of devices.
ISO 28560 Standards Issues
I see that ISO 28560 has 3 component parts. What are the differences
between the parts? Why are there 3 parts?
The three parts meet different requirements:
Part 1: Data elements and general
guidelines for implementation defines the data elements and will
be relevant irrespective of how the data is encoded on the tag and even which
tag technology is used. It will be
revised as new data elements are agreed to be added to the standard.
Part 2: Encoding of RFID data
elements based on rules from ISO/IEC 15962 makes use of generic
RFID encoding rules that provide the flexibility just to encode the one
mandatory data element or to select any of the optional data elements. It is possible to selectively lock any data
element.
Part 3: Fixed length encoding provides for a
migration from some of the existing national fixed length encoding schemes,
particularly the Danish model. There are
a number of mandatory data elements in the basic 'encoding' block. The standard
is silent about locking, but generally this needs to be applied to an entire
block.
If there are 2 compliant data models, do the vendors' products need to
support both to be compliant with the standard?
Conformance requirements for ISO 28560 Part 2 and
Part 3 are different. This has been
covered by the conformance documents published on the website:
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid / "Conformance Guidelines ISO 28560. RFID in Libraries".
These documents make it clear that conformance between the two standards
is independent. It is possible to claim
conformance to just part of the process, for example, for encoding the tag but
not necessarily for decoding the tag and vice versa. The intention is to provide different types
of vendors with the greatest amount of flexibility to support the library
community with interoperable devices. A
top class company that only manufactures printer encoders will be able to
consider claiming conformance.
Major vendors of complete library RFID systems, when assessing the market
will most likely support both standards.
Is an RFID system strictly tied up to one of the two
encoding specified in ISO 28560, or will it be able to handle tags independent
of the chosen encoding?
If a vendor decides
to support both encoding schemes, then various "software switches"
can be used to automatically process individual tags encoded to one or other
scheme. An alternative approach is for a
vendor to primarily support one encoding scheme, but use the same type of
software switches to divert to the data from tags based on the other encoding
scheme to a parallel set of software.
What is AFI?
AFI stands for Application Family Identifier. ISO/IEC 15961 (and later revisions still in
development by ISO) use the AFI as a tag selection
mechanism across the air interface. This
means that if a library book is taken into a different environment where a
different AFI has been assigned for that application; there will be no system
clash with the library loan item being confused with the other application
system. The same applies in reverse with
a tag coming from another environment into a library. It is for this reason that an application for
a specific AFI was made early on in the process, so that existing proprietary
and national models could adopt the correct AFI as early as possible.
Which values of AFI do
we need to use?
ISO 28560-1 clarifies that one or two AFIs may
be used, depending on how the security system works in a particular library.
A library shall at
least use a single AFI, the value C2HEX assigned under the
registration of ISO/IEC 15961-2. This distinguishes library items from all
others, and avoids the risk of an RFID reader in another domain reading the
RFID tag on a loan item and confusing its encoded content with data in an
application outside the library domain.
The AFI may additionally be used
as part of an “item security system” where the AFI value C2HEX is
written to tags for items that are on loan to a client. When the books are
returned, the in-stock AFI value 07HEX is written to the tag.
What do I need to consider about character sets?
ISO 28560 Part 1 specifies the data element and constraints on some of
the characters that can be used for encoding that data element. These rules are carried through into the
encoding of Part 2 and Part 3, but with some subtle differences (see the
details below).
What is an ISIL?
ISIL is an acronym for International Standard Identifier for Libraries
and Related Organizations The rules are defined in ISO 15511 Information and
documentation - International Standard Identifier for Libraries and Related
Organizations (ISIL). The rules define a
method for identifying libraries, archives and museums. The data elements: Owner institution (ISIL)
and ILL borrowing institution (ISIL) use ISIL to identify the library. The ISIL
may take one of two forms:
a) using a country code prefix to identify a
national ISIL agency
b) using a different prefix to identify a
non-national agency, for example OCLC has registered the WorldCat Symbol
More information: http://biblstandard.dk/isil/
Should I consider
locking the data? What should I be thinking about when I decide which way to go
on this issue?
The ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1 tag has a facility to selectively lock blocks
of data. A block is a fixed number of
bytes for a particular tag model and typically is either 4 bytes or sometimes 8
bytes long. Once a block is locked, it
can never be unlocked. So this is the
first point for a library to consider. A
further challenge is that, based on the encoding rules, a library might not
know which data elements can be locked or not.
Locking capabilities for Part 2 and 3 are discussed below.
Do we need to encrypt
some of the data on the tag – and how?
None of the data elements are specified as requiring encryption. This is
because the 18000-3 Mode 1 tag provides no method to store an encryption key in
a separate memory area. In addition,
although encryption without such a separate memory is theoretically possible,
the keys will either need to be encoded with other data or need to be exchanged
between stakeholders, particularly for interlibrary loans. If a data element is considered sensitive in
a particular domain, then it should not be encoded on the tag.
I have heard that I
might need to "refresh" the data in my RFID tags periodically, is
this so?
Various technical experts have been consulted on this point, and there is
a slight disagreement in their views. One view is that refreshing is necessary
because there is a gradual reduction in power capabilities as time goes by. Other experts say that it does not matter,
and the very action of reading and writing tags actually achieves an element of
"refreshing". There are a
number of RFID discussion platforms that raise various issues about RFID in libraries,
and this does not seem to have been a significant issue in the discussions
whereas many other topics have.
Will the new standard
address item security?
Part 1has a complete annex devoted to security, effectively anti-theft,
issues and covers three main types of security mechanism:
·
Using a dual AFI, where the security
implementation is based on an AFI code with the value 07HEX programmed as the
AFI code for library items that are checked into the collection. It also
requires that AFI code C2HEX is encoded on items that are checked out and on
loan.
·
Using the tag's unique chip identifier and
a database compiled with the tag IDs of items that are checked out of the
library. The security system is programmed to read all tag ids, look them up in
the database and, if they are not in the database of authorised checked-out
items, the assumption is that they have been removed in an unauthorised
manner. The database only needs to hold
tag ids that have recently been checked out.
·
Using electronic article surveillance
(EAS) features have been added by some manufacturers of ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1
tags as a proprietary feature. As such, the operation of this feature is
outside the scope of the ISO/IEC 18000-3 Mode 1. It is included here because a
number of vendors offer this as a feature of their system. Interoperability
between different EAS systems cannot be assumed.
How are new elements
added to ISO 28560?
Five of the data elements are “Reserved for future use”. The ISO working
group (ISO TC46/SC4/WG11) has decided a procedure for assigning these elements
for specific use. If you identify the
need for a new data element, contact your the national member body of ISO. This
body can send a proposal for use of a reserved element to the Convener of ISO
TC46/SC4/WG11 RFID in libraries.
A proposal shall include name of the element and its definition for
including in ISO 28560-1 and a description of intended use and reasons for use
on international level. In addition
there need to be proposed encoding rules for ISO 28560-2 and ISO 28560-3. Then
the editors of ISO 28560 will submit the proposed additions to WG11. If a
proposal passes a vote in WG11, the proposal will be published at
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/. It will also be a formal proposal to be added to
ISO 28560 when the next update of the standard are carried out, especially as
it has previous acceptance within WG11
This procedure ensures that a general need for a new element can be
fulfilled in short time.
ISO 28560-2 Specific Issues
How can I migrate to the
ISO 28560-2 standard? Will I need to re-tag my collection?
There are two main migration paths to ISO 28560-2. In the short term, the more likely path is
from a proprietary coding scheme to the standard. The data encoding is
completely different and libraries need to consider whether a national or other
data model is in place for ISO 28560-2.
The other path is from an existing national data model, where again the
encoding is complete different.
Encoding to 28560-2 requires the appropriate AFI and DSFID to be encoded.
This enables tags compliant with the ISO standard to be distinguished from
previous encoding schemes. A specific
consideration is that tags that were previously locked might not be able to be
converted. In this case it might be necessary to re-tag the particular loan
item. Generally if none of the previous
data has been locked, then re-tagging is less likely.
Do I need to use all
data elements, and if not, do I need to make a profile?
No. The only mandatory data element is the Primary Item Identifier. However, consideration needs to be given to
the possibility of national or regional data profiles being in place. Links to
national profiles are listed here.
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/docs/RFID-in-libraries-Links-external/index.htm
What do I need to
consider about character sets?
The encoding for Part 2 has ISO/IEC 8859-1 as the default character
set. There are also special rules for
encoding some data elements. There are four data elements (title and the three
locally defined data elements in ISO 28560 that may be encoded to support
languages other than the Latin alphabet.
In this case UTF-8 is required to encode these data elements, then this
needs to be explicitly indicated in the encoding process.
Does it matter in what
order the data elements are encoded on the tag?
Part 2 only requires that the primary item identifier is encoded in the
first position, but recommends that the content parameter is encoded in the
second position (but even this is not mandatory). Part2 then allows complete flexibility for
the selection and order of the data elements.
This is possible because of the flexibility offered by the ISO/IEC 15962
encoding rules.
What should I consider
about locking the data?
Part 2 addresses
locking by enabling a library to choose which individual data elements are to
be locked and then leaving the encoding process to deal with the technical
organisation so that blocks are locked on the tag. Three data elements should never be
locked. These are the ones that are
associated with any inter-loan library transaction: ILL borrowing institution (ISIL),
ISO 28560-3 Specific Issues
How can I migrate to
the ISO 28560-3 standard? Will I need to re-tag my collection?
There are two main migration paths to ISO 28560-3. In the short term, the more likely path is from
a national coding scheme, for example the Danish model, to the International
standard. The basic block of ISO 28560-3 is the same as the Danish model. Other
pre-existing national models might be different. ISO 28560-3 has additional block for the encoding
that the library might decide to encode.
The other path is from a proprietary encoding scheme, where the encoding
is complete different from 28560-3.
Encoding to 28560-3 requires the appropriate AFI and DSFID to be encoded.
This enables tags compliant with the ISO standard to be distinguished from
previous encoding schemes. A specific
consideration is that tags that were previously locked might not be able to be
converted. In this case it might be necessary to re-tag the particular loan
item. Generally if none of the previous
data has been locked, then re-tagging is less likely.
What’s the difference
between the Danish Data Model (DS/INF163) and 28560-3?
The data elements in ISO 28560-1 are backward compatible with the Danish Data
Model (DDM). All data elements in DDM are carried on in ISO 28560-1. Also the
encoding described in ISO 28560-3 is backward compatible with DDM. A few
details are added in ISO 28560-3. This is described in ISO 28560 and DS/INF 163
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/dk/iso28560versusdsinf163.pdf
Do I need to use all
data elements. And if not, do I need to make a
profile?
The data elements in the basic block are the core data elements for
inventory control and circulation. The other blocks contain data elements for
acquisition, ILL, title and library supplement. You can pick the data elements
you need. If you use more than the basic block, it is recommended to define a
profile (See Annex E and section
http://biblstandard.dk/rfid/docs/RFID-in-libraries-Links-external/index.htm
What do I need to
consider about character sets?
The default character set for strings of data for Part 3 is UTF-8. In addition, specific encoding rules are
applied to some data elements.
Does it matter in what
order the data elements are encoded on the tag?
Part 3 first puts the data elements into sets (known as blocks – not to
be confused with the block structure of the memory on the RFID tag itself) and
then, within each block, specifies the sequence of the data elements. The basic block is mandatory, and has a
defined set of data elements. Part 3 also
specifies a number optional of structured extension blocks, each with a defined
structure, but with the capability of not encoding some of the data elements
defined for the block.
What should I consider
about locking the data?
Part 3 does not
prescribe any strategy for locking. Such
a strategy is left for regional profiling.
It should be noted that the structure of the basic block means that no
individual data element may be locked and only the entire block may be
locked.
How does the validation
check work?
When an RFID tag is written, a checksum is calculated and stored as part
of basic block. When a tag is read, the same calculation is done. If the
checksum calculated by the reader differs from the stored checksum, an error
has occurred, and the tag should be inspected. The reason may be an error on
the tag, e.g. wrong encoding scheme, or an error in the reader. The validation
method is CRC – Cyclic redundancy check (See Annex C).