The Central Arkansas Library System, which has been in the news lately, will switch from bar codes to a radio frequency identification chip (RFID) for keeping track of library books and DVDs, etc. This will make it possible for patrons to check out their own materials without individually scanning each item. The conversion will cost $1.4 million and should be completed this year. Each item housed in all the system's branches will have to be embedded with RFID tags. As usual it will be quite a job.

The first branch library to undergo the conversion will be the John G. Fletcher branch.