San Francisco Supervisors Reject RFID, Increase Materials Budget

-- Library Journal, 7/8/2005

A plan to install radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in materials at the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) has been rejected 4-1 by the Budget Committee of the Board of Supervisors. San Francisco and Berkeley have been the epicenter of citizen activism about library RFID, as critics are concerned the RFID system could compromise privacy—a position disputed by library vendors and librarians with RFID systems in place. In January, an effort to launch RFID at SFPL by spending $300,000 was postponed, as the library faced a budget shortfall. Instead, the library planned a larger project, at $680,000, but the money, the supervisors say, should be used for other things.

Library spokeswoman Marcia Schneider noted that “SFPL’s budget fared very, very well at the Board of Supervisors. It was approved at approximately $62 million, including about a five percent increase, including more money for books and materials, funding for Every Child Ready to Read and a Successful Teens initiative, funds for Main Library building enhancements, updating computers, branch enhancements, etc.” She acknowledged that “it appears that the Board was not comfortable funding RFID during this budget round,” but said the Board demonstrated “enormous goodwill… during a difficult budget year” and noted that the library would “explore all technologies, including RFID, as future options for our system.”