MILWAUKEE--HK Systems, Inc., an automated material handling and supply chain software provider, will provide a state-of-the-art, automated library system (ALS) for the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago. This unique system will feature a traditional bin system for bound volumes, which, together with an archival shelving system, will house archival material.
The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library’s ALS will house 3.5 million volumes in one-seventh of the space required for conventional shelving, HK Systems says. Also, in what is described as an industry first, the automated storage and retrieval system will be built underground and will consist of four HK Systems mini-load and one HK unit-load storage and retrieval machines (SRM). The automated system will let library patrons request a volume via the library’s circulation system. The SRM will retrieve materials from storage and bring the bin to one of eight pick stations with a lift, where library staff members can retrieve requested volumes from the bin and deliver them to library patrons.
