The Public Library of Brookline unveiled an automated materials handling system last week, following library systems in Newton and Wellesley in installing the high-tech sorting apparatus.
The automated materials handling system is a system of conveyor belts located in what was once the circulation room at the library’s Brookline Village branch. The belts are programmed to scan and sort library items before library staff return them to their shelves, and will allow staff to spend more time helping patrons and less time sorting and handling the more than 800,000 items circulated by the library, according to library director Amanda Hirst.
“Anything that helps us manage that high volume of materials is a game changer,” Hirst said in an interview.
The system will also alleviate repetitive strains and lower library workers’ risk of carpal tunnel syndrome, she said.
On Friday, members of the community came to watch a a ribbon-cutting ceremony to christen the system with its first returns. After the ribbon was cut, patrons returned books and watched as they zoomed through the system, while enjoying cupcakes and conversation in the library’s lobby.
“We’re really, really fortunate to have this foundational public resource here,” Town Administrator Charles Carey said at the ceremony. “It’s not just a space for books, it’s a space for community. It’s a space for development. It’s a place where people take their families.”
The automated materials handling system, which cost in the six figures according to Hirst, was purchased with a grant from the Brookline Library Foundation, a nonprofit which helps provide library materials and technology.
Kristin Hung, the chair of the Public Library of Brookline Board of Trustees, thanked the foundation at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This has been a twinkle in many people’s eyes for decades, so this is a fruition of a lot of people’s hard work and vision,” Hung said.
