The package is for the cost of repairing the hardware and software for the Automated Materials Handler (conveyor belt that returns the books to the basement) in the Library.

The Library purchased a conveyor system in 2002 to carry returned books from the public Library floor to the basement. This system is also known as an Automated Materials Handler (AMH). In 2002, the cost of purchase and installation was $253,465. The Library upgraded the AMH in 2011 for $57,499 to work with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID); now the AMH can read the RFID tag in each book, check the book in, and sort it into the appropriate bin on its way to being returned to the Library shelves. Repairs were made to the conveyor system in 2014 and to the RFID software in 2015 for a combined total of roughly $10,000.

In the past year, upgrades to the current Integrated Library System (ILS) which Camas shares with Fort Vancouver Regional Libraries has rendered the system incompatible with the AMH’s outdated software. In addition, the physical hardware of the conveyor belt has degraded over time and at this point the conveyor belt itself no longer functions. Thus, the Library no longer has software that works with RFID and no conveyor belt on which to use it. The Library felt it prudent to wait until the new, Camas-only ILS was implemented to repair the AMH, in order to ensure all systems are compatible. The new ILS will be fully implemented in December 2018.

In the interim, the best solution the Library has for receiving returned books inside the building is by placing a bin in front of the slot where the books previously went onto the conveyor belt. This is awkward, displeases patrons, looks unprofessional, and is a waste of the investment the City made in its original 2002 purchase and subsequent upgrades and repairs. 

Note: The Library is pursuing contracts with vendors that can fix the conveyor belt and provide updated software as an inclusive package; the RFID portion will be limited in its abilities but the full package is cost prohibitive and the most important aspect is getting the conveyor belt working again.

Figures are estimates only. Actual funding requirements will be updated once the Committee has researched current technologies and a recommendation has been made.