Re-envisioning Materials Handling at Multnomah County Library

This multi-year engagement with Multnomah County included planning for an entirely new automated material handling environment that would be rolled out as part of a capital project that would touch nearly every library in the system. It included planning a new service center that would house a 50-bin sorter and 300,000 collection and planning for the implementation of the Lyngsoe Intelligent Materials Management System (IMMS) . Multnomah County will be only the third library in the US to implement IMMS.

The engagement included planning for self-serve returns and sorting at libraries that were being refreshed as well as those that were being entirely rebuilt from the ground up.

Ayre worked with the Library to plan for implementing IMMS and what it would mean for the new Service Center that would house their new central sorter and the "media hotel" to be used by IMMS. The collection will be used to fill Holds and store material that the Library has determined need not be housed in community libraries. The plan is part of a concerted effort by MCL to provide community libraries that will be highly browseable and also flexible for programming and in-person activities.