The Gail Borden Public Library will be getting some computerized help in sorting the nearly 2 million materials checked out of its main branch each year.
Trustees have agreed to purchase an automated system that can check in and sort hundreds of materials per hour.
“It would allow then for a more efficient return and getting materials onto the shelves quicker,” Executive Director Carole Medal said.
She also said it would reduce employees’ repetitive stress injuries and allow the library to put its human staff in areas where they can interact with library patrons. A smaller version of the system already is in place at the library’s Rakow Branch.
Last year staff and volunteers undertook the first phase of the project at the main location by tagging thousands of materials so they could be recognized by the equipment that uses radio frequency. This year they have been installing compatible self-check equipment and security gates.
The third phase, the automated sorting system, will cost $658,918 plus $50,000 for construction. The cost came in under the $1 million originally predicted. Medal has proposed financing the project over five years, which means there also will be interest costs. However, she is still negotiating with banks on the terms of a loan.
Trustee Randy Hopp said it would be irresponsible to approve the system without the loan being finalized and he also took issue with the library not going out to bid for the project.
Medal said she will bring the loan information back to the board in August and that bids on the project are not required due to the specialized nature of the equipment. She added a committee researched five companies and recommended vendor 3M.
Trustee Penny Wegman asked if the library would be eliminating employees once the system is installed and Medal replied affected employees were told upon being hired that their position is temporary.
Wegman, Herb Gross, Jean Bednar and Rick McCarthy voted in favor of purchasing the system while Hopp and Lisa Knight voted against it. Sue Moylan was absent.
The new equipment is expected to be fully installed six months after signing the contract.
