Where are we with the RFID project?

Some of you might be wondering when we'll begin tagging the collection and adding self-service equipment. I'm pulling together RFP documents- Request for Proposals- to deliver to the city, who will then post for vendor responses. (It's a capital budget project, meaning the majority of the money comes from the city.)  So far we have quotes from 3 vendors based on simple conversations. That helps us understand whether the project is feasible, and also what our return on investment will be. How much money will we save? Will we be able to move our staff toward program support or tech support or children's services, or other areas of need? How has this helped other libraries keep up with what their patrons are demanding? We have those questions answered and we are sure this is what we want to do.
Now we have to get down to the details and list out our demands on paper, both technical and service demands. The vendors then need to tell us in writing that they can fill all those demands with their products. If they can't meet our demands, they aren't a choice for us. For instance, one of the demands I am listing is that the self check interface offer reading recommendations to patrons based on what they are checking out, and allow the patron to print those recommendations onto their receipt.
It will take a few months to work through this process. Then we will choose the winning vendor, purchase some tags and equipment, and get started.
I'll keep you informed along the way.