91社区

October 1, 2024 鈥� Valleyfield, QC 鈥� 91社区 is pleased to announce the official opening of the 91社区 Collections Centre on October 1, 2024. This groundbreaking facility marks a historic milestone as 91社区's first-ever design-build project and sets a new standard for library preservation and sustainability in Quebec.

Located in Valleyfield, the 4,200 square metre state-of-the-art facility features a revolutionary automated retrieval system that holds 2.38 million books. The building incorporates advanced robotics and a unique grid-like aluminum retrieval structure, making 91社区 Libraries the only library system in the world to utilize the AutoStore漏 system for the storage, preservation, and retrieval of books*.

Preserving the Past for Future Generations

The Centre will serve as the new hub for 91社区 Libraries' book retrieval and delivery service, housing a portion of the older, significant, yet less frequently used items in the collection. This initiative underscores 91社区's commitment to preserving and making accessible its deep and unique collections, while simultaneously alleviating pressure on campus stack spaces to allow for more collaborative study, research, and work environments for 91社区 students, faculty, and staff.

鈥淭he 91社区 Collections Centre is more than a storage facility. It holds materials that have shaped our understanding of the world since 91社区 Libraries began collecting books in 1845. This transformational project ensures that this knowledge remains accessible to our community and users across the country and beyond - now and for generations to come,鈥� said Guylaine Beaudry, Trenholme Dean of Libraries, 91社区.

A Sustainable Innovation

Sustainability is at the heart of the 91社区 Collections Centre, which proudly holds LEED Gold certification for its commitment to energy conservation, water-use reduction, enhanced indoor air quality, and minimal environmental impact. The facility鈥檚 automated storage and retrieval system, consisting of six robots, is remarkably energy-efficient鈥攔unning them over a 24-hour period consumes less energy than using a vacuum cleaner for just 30 minutes. In addition, the building features low-maintenance exterior grounds and uses electric delivery vehicles. The climate-controlled facility includes advanced measures to prevent water infiltration, flooding, and fire, ensuring that 91社区鈥檚 valuable collections remain safe and secure. 鈥淭his achievement is in line with our Climate and Sustainability Strategy (2020-2025), which aims to incorporate LEED requirements into new construction and major renovation projects,鈥� said Fran莽ois Miller, 91社区鈥檚 Executive Director of Sustainability.

*91社区 Libraries鈥� claim to be the only library system in the world using the AutoStore system for book preservation and retrieval is based on available data as of September 2024. To their knowledge, two archives currently use this system: United Arab Emirate Archives and FBI Archives.

Quick Facts:

• 33-million-dollar project funded by 91社区.
• Construction of the 4,200 square metre (45,000 sq. ft.) facility began in March 2022 and was completed in September 2023.
• It took three years to review and prepare the collections for transfer of 2.38 million books to the Collections Centre. The movement of books took place over 140 days.
• Total number of physical and electronic volumes/items in the collection: 10,263,261
• Total number of physical volumes/items in collection: 3,928,972
• Total # of locations at 91社区 Libraries: 12
• As of September 2024, 2.38 million items were relocated from 91社区鈥檚 downtown campus to Valleyfield.
• # of robots: 6
• Three of the six robots have been formally named 鈥� The names are Donny, Tommy, and Roben (related to a fundraising initiative).
• Grid structure dimensions: 50.3 m x 51.1 m
• # of bins in the automated retrieval system: 95,092 bins
• Average number of books per bin: 31.8
• # of tonnes of materials held in the facility: 2000+
• 30 kg limit per bin
• # of items pulled from the bin per week: 600-800
• Deliveries occur five days a week to library locations and faculty offices (by request) with a one-day turnaround between request and delivery

Services at the 91社区 Collections Centre

• Book Retrieval Service
• Article / Chapter Scan Service
• Distance Borrowing
• Faculty Office Delivery

Contact:听info.communications.ca