To be compatible with the system, each piece of library material will have an RFID tag installed onto it. RFID tags use radio frequencies to search, identify, track and communicate with certain items.
According to the bid document, “As each piece of library material passes through the sorter, the material sorter will scan the RFID tag, which contains the descriptive information of the item being sorted, so that the sorter can interface with the SirsiDynix Symphony Integrated Library System (ILS) software system in real time to query more information about the item.”
Based on the information the sorter pulls from each RFID tag, each item will go to a specific bin and be categorized accordingly.
To qualify for the opportunity, vendors should propose a solution that offers software licensing, equipment, hardware, shipping, installation, implementation, training, project management, support and maintenance services, periodic preventive maintenance and other enhancements.
For example, functional requirements of the solution should include:
- Applying and activating RFID tags on all physical materials at all library branches, which is estimated to be about 1.9 million items.
- Linking RFID tags on related material — for example, a DVD has related tags for the media and its corresponding case/container. An estimated 216,000 DVDs exist within the Broward County Board of Commissioners collection.
- Providing an inventory mechanism, using RFID readers, to be used at all branches, so that count library materials and display reports can be exported to data files.
- Providing exportable reports that show the number of items sorted within a given time frame.
- Detecting if linked material may be missing — for example, if a DVD case is missing a disc or a disc is in the wrong case.
More detailed information about solicitation TEC2125499P1, including all submission requirements and requests, can be found online. The deadline for responses is 2 p.m. on April 17.
