FE Tech wins $1.4m ACT libraries contract

FE Technologies has won a $1.4 million contract to install a new collection management system across the Australian Capital Territory’s Library and Information Service.

The Breakwater firm will implement its Smart Library™ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology by the middle of the year, replacing the library service’s old barcode system.

With more than half a million items to be converted to RFID across eight libraries, the ACT Library and Information Service (ACTLIS) is engaging community groups to assist doing the job while raising funds for their clubs.

FE Technologies chief executive officer Robert Reed said his company had worked together with ACTLIS to customise the system for the service’s needs.

“The application of RFID brings the ACT Library and Information Service to the forefront of library asset management and we are gratified to see our collective vision come to life,” Robert Reed said.

The Smart Library™ system, developed and manufactured in Geelong, replaces traditional barcode scanning by encoding RFID tags with specific information about library items, including books, CDs and DVDs.

The radio frequency technology allows library items to be tracked and monitored without requiring a “line-of-sight”, making management of collections faster and more accurate.

The ACT community volunteers – who are receiving hourly “wages” for their clubs – have almost completed three of the eight library collections, with the system expected to be up and running by mid-year.

Director of the ACT Library and Information Service, Vanessa Little said “It’s certainly a simple system to use. We have Girl Guides who are 10 and 12 years old who have had no difficulty in learning the process.”
Announcing the winning bidder, ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope said the Smart Library™ RFID system would enable library staff to focus on helping customers rather than processing work.

“Anyone who has micro chipped their pet, or who has an e-passport, or used an e-tag on a toll way has probably already encountered RFID,” Mr Stanhope said.

“RFID technology is the way of the future for public libraries, and it is important that the ACT embraces this opportunity.”

The contract includes Self Loan Stations, Security Gates, Stock Take Units, 488,000 RFID tags and hire of Mobile Retrospective Encoders to assist the conversion of the library group’s collections.

FE Technologies is a division of Express Promotions that specialises in the development of customised RFID systems.

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