Parallel to the installation of the BiblioChip RFID system in the Central Library of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Bibliotheca has also performed the conversion of the entire holdings. In collaboration with students at the university, 400,000 media have been labeled with ready-made RFID labels. The labels are initialized and printed by means of BiblioConversion stations directly at the shelves.

While the library is in operation, media stocks are converted within a very short period of time – in the case of Mainz within just two months. Two people at one station can convert an average of 2,000 media per working day.

The library attracts approximately 700,000 visitors per year and records some 40,000 checkouts every month. There were three main reasons for choosing RFID: “With the BiblioChip we can replace our book security system, which is now obsolete. The new system takes care of securing the media as well as the entire lending operation. Add to this the fact that our patrons can now check out the media themselves,” explains Dr. Marianne Bartsch, who is responsible for IT planning and IT coordination in the university library. “We anticipate a reduction in checkout workload for library staff, as well as fewer lines during peak hours. And in future we want to make it possible for patrons to check out media from our open-access holdings outside opening hours,” as Dr. Marianne Bartsch comments on the improvements planned with RFID.

Security gates at the exit, the counter checkout stations for staff and the three Biblio SelfCheck stations have been installed. The link to the OCLC library software has been realized. The RFID system went into operation as scheduled at the start of the semester in April 2008.

On the Johannes Gutenberg University Library:
The Central Library is the main lending library of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, providing information and services for the entire university. It ensures that students have access to specialized information during their foundation course and provides interdisciplinary information materials and basic publications from other academic areas.
It also offers work facilities, takes care of the central collection of text books of the university and maintains the central reference holdings in the reading rooms. In addition, the Central Library provides services such as user consultation, user training and distance lending, as well as a range of other electronic and conventional services.

For further information on the library see www.ub.uni-mainz.de.