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Workflow Optimization

LA County Library Materials Handling and Distribution Assessment of Facilities Services and Logistics

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Tue, 08/22/2023 - 10:16am

LA County Library provides services to over 3.5 million residents living in unincorporated areas and to residents from 49 of the 88 incorporated cities within the County,
with a service area that extends over 3,000 square miles. Library houses a collection of 7.5 million books and materials, including DVDs and CDs, with an annual circulation of 3.3 million items. Each card-holder may request and hold up to fifty (50) items, which are then delivered to the patron’s community library through interlibrary loans within the LA County Library system, resulting in a total of 1.7 million annual holds.

The Library selected Lori Ayre to complete a comprehensive business process assessment of its current materials handling and distribution process, including a cost/benefit analysis for an automated materials handling system (AMH).

Free Library of Philadelphia Logistics Consultation

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Tue, 08/22/2023 - 9:36am

The purpose of this engagement was to assist the Library in addressing the backlog of deliveries between libraries.  At the start of the engagement, the Library was backlogged by as many as 30,000 items. Over the course of the engagement, several solutions were proposed for addressing the immediate backlog and for ensuring that the status of deliveries were more closely monitored to ensure measures could be taken in advance of another backlog occuring.

RFID and AMH Consultation with Regina Public Library (Saskatechewan)

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 8:44am

Regina Public Library (RPL) is in the early stages of its Central Library Renewal initiative. Begun in 2019 with a comprehensive Needs Assessment and Project Plan for Central Library Renewal, the project includes a plan to upgrade the library system to RFID and implement automated materials handling (AMH). The Library seeks a consultant to ensure staff understand the RFID and AMH market options and opportunities that are available and to provide recommendations for identifying products and/or functionality that would benefit the Library and help RPL achieve their strategic goals.

Lori Ayre will work with the library to:

  • Review and provide feedback to internally developed AMH Assessment
  • Supplement existing AMH space assessment as needed
  • Provide information about state-of-the-art products in the following categories:
    • Materials induction systems
    • Sorting systems
    • RFID gates for more than just security
    • RFID shelving solutions
    • New, innovative products based on RFID
  • Provide RFID and AMH recommendations and act as broker with regard to potential vendors and suppliers
  • Assist with procurement of RFID and possibly AMH
  • Assist with planning for RFID and AMH implementation

RFID And Materials Handling Workflow Assessment for Consortium

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 8:39am

The members of the Ocean State Libraries (OSL) consortium are considering moving to RFID as a consortium.  Some members are currently using RFID while others are not. Lori Ayre will be working with the libraries to provide a cost estimate for moving all members to RFID and also helping them determine whether that is the right course of action.  Ayre will be evaluating their circulation and materials handling workflows and providing recommendations for how to efficiently address their primary pain points and position themselves for the future. 

The Holy Grail of Library Automation: The Shared Library System

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 07/23/2018 - 2:58pm

Over the last year, I’ve been working closely with consortia in my home state of California. I’ve participated in something of a “listening tour” to hear what is working and what isn’t working at the consortial level and to find out what they really need that the consortium could provide.

What I’ve learned is that it is very hard for get beyond the basics:  shared e-resources, shared delivery and networking with their peers. Initiatives much bigger than that, strike them as beyond the realm of possibility.  What I would love to see is some “hive mind” where the members suddenly become aware of their ability to address many of the challenges that hold them back with one big change – moving to a shared library system.

The shared library system is the holy grail of library automation. It’s awesome and yet so difficult to acquire. For libraries lucky enough to have gone down this path years ago, it might not seem so magical, but the shared library system has many wondrous qualities.

You Can't Be Serious

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 07/23/2018 - 2:52pm

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol9/iss3/2/Every once in a while I get a call from someone with an idea they want to explore that just makes no sense at all. At least not at first. The latest zany idea a client brought to me is a concept they dubbed, “pure central processing” and although my first response was, “You can’t be serious” it is definitely growing on me. Their idea was to eliminate check-in at each of their branches entirely by letting people return things but instead of checking them in there, the items would be taken elsewhere for check-in and then brought back later. They weren’t talking about moving from a staff check-in experience to a self-service check-in experience. They were talking about eliminating the check-in transaction and associated workflows from public service library staff and the library environment entirely.

Library Resource-Sharing and Physical Delivery Consultation

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Mon, 07/02/2018 - 11:32am

NorthNet Library System was seeking assistance evaluating their physical delivery options for libraries interested in joining the Link+ resource-sharing network.  Link+ is a very popular resource sharing network that is composed of a software component (INN-Reach by Innovative Interfaces) and physical delivery of items (provided by Tricor).  

The goal of the engagement is to develop a solution for fairly distributing the total cost of Link+ between existing Link+ libraries and the new ones so that no current library pays more than their current costs and to develop a delivery model for getting items where they need to be in an acceptable time frame.

From Transact to Transform: Seizing the Opportunity of an RFID Implementation

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Wed, 04/27/2016 - 12:56pm

The ALA Libraries Transform campaign communicates that libraries are more than places where circulation transactions take place, libraries can be transformative. And technologies like RFID, automated materials handling and self-service technologies are the tools that increase opportunities for libraries to provide enriching experiences to their communities. Although RFID projects involve technical hurdles, they can be a fantastic opportunity to transform library services! If libraries only install the technology without changing how they use staff, they miss the chance to change the dynamics of patron-staff interaction. 

Liberated From the Circulation Desk - Now What?

Submitted by Lori Ayre on Wed, 11/25/2015 - 8:24am

I’ve been involved in several library remodels and building projects lately for public libraries in the 15,000-30,000 square foot range. My job is to help select self-check systems, and to implement RFID and automated materials handling technologies for the purposes of optimizing materials handling workflows.  However, optimizing materials handling workflows is really about optimizing services to patrons.  Selecting technologies and making recommendations about how to optimize their use is the easy part.  The harder part is helping libraries transition from their traditional staff-based circulation workflows to self-service workflows which free up staff to focus on other patron needs without the constraints, and structure, provided by the traditional circulation desk model.