BARCODE TECHNOLOGIES AND ITS APPLICATIONS IN LIBRARIES

INTRODUCTION: Barcodes are having one special capability, they can easily read the data by optical scanners and also by using a digital camera on connecting it to the microcomputer. A photographic image of a barcode helps to decode the information of 2-Dimensional barcodes. Barcodes are versatile in nature and they are very beneficial to all the industries around us. Barcodes are very helpful to manage any of the libraries in an efficient manner. Operations performed by barcodes in a library are tracking, packaging, accessing, and many more terms and techniques.

APPLICATIONS OF BARCODE TECHNOLOGY WITH RESPECT TO LIBRARY:

• TRACKING: Barcodes are widely used to track the resources of libraries where the size and weight of products are not a great concern for barcodes to track any of the library-related resources all around. Barcodes empower users to track the books from their production to supply at the end.
• LABELING: Barcodes allow us to label the books to get quick access to various resources present in a small or large library. Labeling is the factor that helps us to get quick identification of books according to user requirements.
• STOCK VERIFICATION: The user is allowed to use barcodes to know the stock level of various books, magazines, and journals available in the library. This most time-consuming technique can be easily performed via barcodes in less amount of time.
• INVENTORY CONTROL: Barcodes are able to manage the inventory of any kind of resource in a library. Inventory can be controlled by managing libraries and their resources. Barcodes allow us to make efficient packaging of various books and magazines in a library.
• AUTOMATION: Barcodes empower users to automate things in an efficient manner. Optimization of things makes the procedures so fast, accurate, efficient and smoother. Optimization is the best source to manage a library in an efficient manner.
• ORGANISED MANAGEMENT: Barcodes are capable to provide proper management of things in your library. Barcodes can organize things by implementing labeling and other terms and techniques to the resources of a library in an institution.

BENEFITS OF BARCODE TECHNOLOGY IN THE LIBRARY:

Some of the major benefits of the barcode technology used in the libraries are mentioned below-

• PROVIDE SMOOTH WORKING: Barcodes ensure us to get proper use and execution of daily routine tasks and activities in an efficient manner. Barcodes are the most trustable technology to get efficient and accurate results for your books and magazines without facing any difficulty. Barcodes are able to make things so managed and empower users to analyze something about their resources and library.
• REDUCE ERRORS: Barcodes are capable to detect the light and then, translate it into digits or information about a particular product. Whereas in manual data entries we have to search all the things manually by hand. Most of the time manual data is the reason for certain mistakes and most concern issues. Barcode is a machine-based program. Thus, we can easily say that barcodes are capable to reduce error.
• IMPROVE ACCURACY: Barcodes are having accurate information in several books and magazines. Barcodes are based on the machine-readable format where machines are trained by smart humans. Sometimes user also makes mistakes in entering data manually. But here, in terms of barcodes, there are very less chances of mistakes. Barcodes are able to work on real-time data so; this is the reason for their high accuracy.
• INCREASE PROFIT: Barcodes are proven as the best source for a library in many aspects i.e. save precious time for the employees in a library, minimize errors, optimize things, organize the management, reduce efforts and space, and many more things. These all things are so much helpful in reducing costs and getting back a heavy profit to manage your library.
• REDUCE RISKS: Barcodes allows user to analyze anything related to data and their products in a library. Users can easily analyze all the upcoming risks of their library. Data stored by barcodes can be observed and analyzed by any of the users to make an analysis of cost, effort, space, and many more things. The pre-analysis of data is very helpful to reduce the risks of your library at a very large scale.
• ENSURE FAST PROCESSING: Barcodes are capable to make things so managed so that the user is able to connect to the management in the minimum possible time and effort. Bar-coding Technology is used to get quick and accurate access to desired details of any goods and services in a library. Barcodes are versatile in nature and they are able to facilitate users to use barcodes for any of the resources all around.
• SAVE TIME: Barcodes are capable to make the execution of all the tasks and processes so fast and quick and this feature helps us to save precious time and effort for librarians. The time saved by using barcodes can be implemented in other necessary works and procedures of any library of the institution.
• COST SAVING: Barcode Technique is based on machines and works on real-time data. Barcodes are also capable to reduce the timing and efforts of librarians. Automation and management of things and processes are one of the reasons for the fast operation of activities. Pre-analyses of risks and their management can also be done by librarians using the bar-coding technique. These all are the reason for cost savings using barcodes.
• VERSATILE: Barcodes are capable to work for multiple goods and industries. Barcodes can easily work on any kind of data and always ensure us to provide quick and efficient execution of several tasks in a library. Barcodes are the most fitted technology for all libraries. Barcodes are able to satisfy all users according to their needs and requirements.