The reader is the main component in a RFID System, being the device able to read the tags.
Readers come in many shapes and prices and can be classified in "dumb" readers (they need a computer to operate, and they are often connected using a serial or usb connection) and intelligent readers (they include basic processing capabilities and can be remotely programmed, and they are more often connected to a nework).
While tags can are specifically designed to handle a single protocol, some reader are multi-protocol capable and are able to read different types of tags (usually with the limitation the protocols must work on the same frequency range).
