RFID we ain't in Mayberry

When I first saw the initials RFID I couldn't help but think of the show Mayberry RFD that was a spinoff of the Andy Griffith Show. Yes I am dating myself although I was a young child when that show first hit the airwaves in 1968.

Before this week I had no idea what RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) was. Who knew that I use it everyday when I cross the George Washington bridge. I also see it used at the Mobile station in the form of speedpass or in cars that have OnStar. To learn a little bit more about this topic I began to search the web and came across this website RFID journal, it offers news and information about RFID and its many business applications.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/

There are articles there about many public and academic libraries across the world that are implementing RFID technology. When public libraries reopened in New Orleans they chose to use RFID. http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/2460/1/1/ What was seemed like a foreign language to me has now become somewhat familar and could very well be an active part of my future in library services. On the downside the article states that library went from a staff of 4 librarians to just 2 librarians.

While reading this online journal it amazes me how many different business implement this technology. I just read in article on the RFID journal lhttp://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/3383/1/1/
that Karstadt, Germany’s largest fashion retail is getting involved with RFID. The article stated that “During the pilot, Karstadt will implement RFID in three separate processes: tracking goods from the time of arrival at a store until the point of sale; performing and managing inventory; and locating goods to facilitate price changes. The uses for this technology is endless. It also got me thinking if companies can track what is being sold and a customer purchases their items with a credit card then companies can track that person too. It all seems a little big brother to me, remember 1984? Is anyone else worried???