In early October, The New York Public Library will unveil a new book delivery system that features 24 cars, running on 950-feet of vertical and horizontal track, moving millions of books through 11 different levels of the library, at a rate of 75 feet per minute. This new $2.6 million book transport system replaces a clunkier old one where “boxes of research materials were placed on a series of conveyor belts.”
Image by Jonathan Blanc/NYPL
Says Matt Knutzen, director of the Humanities and Social Sciences Research Divisions within the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, “This new dependable and efficient system will ensure a seamless delivery of research items from our storage facility to the researchers who need them.” “Our priorities include preserving our materials and making them increasingly accessible to the public in an inspiring space for research – our recent storage expansion, our restoration of the Reading Room, and the installation of this system are all elements of that work.”
Above, you can watch the new system at work, chugging away, climbing to new heights, and delivering books to happy readers.
via BoingBoing/NYPL
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I wish I were a book, bwecause this looks like a fun ride. Someone needs to clip a GoPro on one of those little cars so we can take a virtual ride. In fact, they should leave one on and just live stream it all day.