The University of Louisville's Ekstrom Library needed to remove 260,000 items from its shelves, and shift a further 95,000 within an extremely short deadline ahead of plans to redesign its third floor into an inviting, modern, student-friendly space for patrons to enjoy. The move faced three distinct challenges: space, item tracking, and…

Most campuses have no real estate to spare for the purpose of housing yet more printed books in their general libraries. Some solutions to this problem entails putting lesser printed materials in less-costly storage facilities; or engaging in cooperative archiving agreements that retain one copy of a title in one of the partner's active stacks so…

Describes a pilot project in automated storage and retrieval of library materials which uses miniload cranes to retrieve bins of materials, and an interface with an online catalog that patrons use to request materials. Savings in space and money and potential problems with the system are discussed. (CLB)

Describes an automated storage/retrieval system which is integrated with an online catalog and circulation system at California State University--Northridge as a practical solution to the problems of expanding collections and escalating construction costs. The impact of this system on user services is discussed. (CDD)