FKI Logistex, manufacturer of automated material flow and sortation systems, will showcase its line of library sortation and return products at booth 2990 of the American Libraries Association Annual Conference and Exhibition, through June 29, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
Included in the library equipment and systems featured at the conference will be the Crisplant Compact Sorter, the Library Mate automated return and portable self-checkout unit, as well as a Crisplant MiniSorter working in tandem with the company's Ergo Carts, Ergo Tubs and plastic totes.
The Library Mate improves service for library patrons and makes work easier for library staff by automating and simplifying the return process. Since library patrons can return holdings to the Library Mate around the clock, it also frees patrons from the restrictions of library hours, prevents long lines for patron returns in the library, and enables library staff to accomplish more customer-service-oriented tasks.
Library Mate can benefit any library. In small libraries, the system can function as a stand-alone unit. Connected to Crisplant sorters in large library settings, it provides a valuable total self-service solution. User-friendly and ergonomically designed, Library Mate accepts any library materials smaller than 16 in. long by 12 in. wide by 4 in. tall and weighing less than 11 pounds.
The Compact Sorter sorts different library material like books, videotapes, magazines, cassettes, CDs and DVDs. Its cross-belt design ensures gentle handling of delicate and mixed material, while maintaining a sorting capacity of up to 4,500 items per hour.
The sorter is able to sort and stack material directly into Ergo Carts, providing an ergonomic solution that saves library staff from having to load return carts before taking return holdings to their appropriate shelf. The sorter stacks material in the correct orientation on the Ergo Cart so that titles can be read without having to turn the material. At the shelves, the stacker shelf of the Ergo Cart is electronically lifted so that stacked materials are positioned at a comfortable working height.
Compact and flexible, the Compact Sorter has small overall dimensions and requires a minimum footprint. It can be set up and installed in a short period of time, adapted to buildings and spaces with complex layouts, and configured for mounting on the floor, ceiling or wall. The Compact Sorter can also convey items at various levels — horizontally, vertically, or over and under.
A library system that employs Library Mates, Ergo Carts and the Compact Sorter or MiniSorter can be fully integrated with virtually any library management system (LMS), and supervised via an existing library intranet. The system will enable staff using any network-connected workstation to log in on the self-service system home page to supervise the system. The system can also be interfaced and managed through wireless PDAs. Library Mate supports standard protocols in most library systems, such as SIP2 and Z39.70.
When a patron returns material using Library Mate, it scans the item bar code or RFID (radio frequency identification) tag (or both), sending the data to the LMS. This registers the patron's lending as complete, and tells Library Mate to print out a return receipt.
The library system is designed to meet future library demands. Built with a modular structure, it ensures that the library system can be expanded when the number of Library Mates and/or sort destinations need to be increased.
For more information, visit http://www.fkilogistex.com/.
