Whether your college or university library already runs HF RFID, still has electromagnetic gates, or is looking at item‑level security for the first time, this page sets out the four realistic paths open to you — through to a modern UHF system that can be mounted at the ceiling, on a bracket above the doors, or hidden entirely beneath the entrance mat. PSP can provide advice and pricing covering the options most relevant to your situation.
Most college and university library and LRC teams running RFID security are on an HF system — typically installed between 2005 and 2018. Many are at or past end of useful life. Others still run electromagnetic gates, or have no item‑level security at all.
When stock records drift away from reality, the whole library feels it: failed stocktakes, course reserves that cannot be relied on, and staff time lost to routine checking. The case for RFID in FE and HE is not only about security — it is about a collection you can trust and a better student experience.
The four options below cover the realistic range — from repair and extension through to a full UHF upgrade. Your PSP proposal will include the options most relevant to your situation.
Repair or replace faulty components in your current HF RFID installation. No new hardware platform, no re‑tagging. The aim is to extend the useful life of what you already have.
Where compatible replacement parts are no longer available for your specific hardware, PSP will advise on the nearest equivalent. In some cases this may require purchasing a new HF unit — this will be identified clearly in your proposal.
Replace the current HF system with modern equivalent HF hardware. Same technology, newer components. Your existing HF tags remain fully compatible — no re‑tagging required.
Install a new eRLS UHF ceiling‑mounted security panel and SmartShield module now. The eRLS panel reads UHF tags — so this option involves a phased re‑tagging programme, starting with the highest‑priority part of your collection.
You do not need to re‑tag everything at once. Most college and university libraries begin with course reserves, new acquisitions and high‑value course texts — building UHF coverage over time. Existing HF‑tagged items remain in the collection during the transition; the UHF panel monitors UHF‑tagged items immediately while the phased re‑tag continues alongside normal service.
Replace all existing tags with eRLS UHF smart labels and install a full eRLS ceiling‑mounted security system. The complete upgrade — maximum capability from day one, no phased transition required.
| Factor | Option 1 Repair & extend |
Option 2 HF refresh |
Option 3 Phased UHF |
Option 4 Full UHF re-tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Medium | Medium | Highest |
| Re-tagging required | ✗ No | ✗ No | ~ Phased | ✓ Full upfront |
| Floor space recovered | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Immediately | ✓ Yes |
| Discreet mounting choice | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Ceiling, bracket or floor | ✓ Ceiling, bracket or floor |
| False alarm reduction | ✗ None | ~ Minor | ✓ 99.5%+ on UHF items | ✓ 99.5%+ full collection |
| Staff PC item alerts | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Fast UHF stocktake | ✗ No | ✗ No | ~ Grows with re-tag | ✓ Full from day one |
| Course reserve visibility | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Tag reserves first | ✓ Full collection |
| Laptop / equipment tagging | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Optional UHF labels | ✓ Optional UHF labels |
| PoE — no mains socket | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Path to full UHF | Replaces later | Replaces later | Built in — phased | Complete from install |
Swipe the table sideways to see all four options.
The eRLS panel is designed to disappear into the building. It can be suspended from the ceiling, fixed to a bracket or soffit above the doors, or embedded in the floor beneath the entrance mat — whichever suits your entrance. No gates, no floor pedestals, no structural alteration to the college or university estate. A single network cable provides both data and power via PoE.
That flexibility is usually what wins the decision: it works in an open‑plan LRC, an atrium entrance, a listed or glazed frontage, and even over a stairwell. Where a conventional pedestal is genuinely preferred, we can supply that too.
PSP has been installing UHF systems in education and NHS libraries since 2017, following the first UHF library installation at St Helen’s College, Warrington in 2016. All 125+ installations use the same proven panel.
The same eRLS panel, installed three different ways in three real libraries. Every one of these entrances is gate‑free and pedestal‑free.
Dropped on wires to the right height above the door, which is the usual answer in a room with a high or exposed ceiling. Power and data arrive through one network cable.
Buckinghamshire College Group, Aylesbury Campus. Two eRLS panels installed in 2023, one of them on a bracket over a stairwell where a floor pedestal would have been impossible.
Dulwich College. The panel sits under the entrance mat, so there is nothing at all to see at the door — the option to reach for on a sensitive, historic or heavily glazed frontage.
Prefer pedestals? We can supply those as well. The point is that the choice is yours — the detection, the software and the stock control are identical whichever mounting you pick.
Colleges and universities already running eRLS UHF. We are happy to put you in direct contact with any of these library teams.
Existing HF users who needed security that would not take up floor space in a new building. Re‑tagged with eRLS smart labels, running three security panels with SmartShield.
eRLS installed across two sites in 2019, including four eRLS security panels and three self‑service kiosks.
Aylesbury Campus, installed 2023. Two eRLS security panels, one of them mounted above a stairwell.
Installed 2023 to replace a defunct electromagnetic system. Two eRLS security panels plus an eRLS Edge self‑service unit.
Home of the first UHF library installation in 2016, chosen because multiple floor‑bolted pedestals would have spoiled an open new library design. Still running eRLS across two sites.
Dundee, January 2024. Replaced an ageing electromagnetic antenna system in the Shaikh Hamdan Library and recovered the floor space it occupied.
“The eRLS RFID system gave us huge flexibility in terms of antenna location, which allowed us to recover valuable floor space. We had no problems at all, from start to finish. The service from everyone at PSP was professional and very supportive and helpful.”
Shaikh Hamdan Library · Al‑Maktoum College of Higher Education, Dundee
Replaced an ageing electromagnetic antenna system, January 2024.
“PSP’s solutions are helpful in a number of ways. Our library users love the new self‑service machine and find it easier to use than our old one. It makes life easier for out‑of‑hours users and is more accessible for people with limited mobility, dexterity issues or visual impairments. The PSP team were fantastic from start to finish, going above and beyond and taking the time to explain products clearly.”
Stacey Astill, Senior Library Assistant · Keyll Darree Health and Social Care Higher Education Centre, Isle of Man
A stocktake that previously took around a month was completed in a day, plus three days of intermittent checks.
Watch on YouTube: Richard Pemberton, Medway NHS Foundation Trust Knowledge and Library Services, on the eRLS stock control, self‑service and smart returns solution PSP designed with his team.
This is currently our fullest recorded walkthrough of a complete eRLS deployment — security, self‑service and smart returns — from a library team’s own perspective. The panel, the software and the install process are identical in a college or university LRC.
If you would rather speak to an education library team directly, we will arrange a reference call with an existing FE or HE eRLS customer.
Educational institutions can ask about our Extended Payment option, spreading the cost of a complete eRLS stock control system over three years — useful where the capital position and the end‑of‑life date do not line up.
PSP is a named supplier on the Crescent Purchasing Consortium framework CA14346 — Library Resources, Software and Associated Services. Where a compliant route is needed we can help you scope a direct award, a mini‑competition or a desktop exercise.
Additional antennas can be run from a master panel to cover more than one entrance or site, which materially changes the cost per site. Tell us your campus and exit layout and we will scope it in the proposal.
Send us your exit layout, collection size and current system and we will come back with the two or three options that actually apply — priced, with no obligation.