Academic Libraries: Book Retrieval "Bots" Arrive at UMKC Library (and Don't Forget the Sushi Bar)

From the Kansas City Star:

What you might not expect to find on the main floor of the Miller Nichols Library is a sushi bar.
But there it is, a part of the $70 million renovation going on at the University of Missouri-Kansas City building.
And what you might expect to find there — books — won’t be visible.
By the time the entire renovation is completed, only about 200,000 volumes and other materials will remain on open shelves.
So where are all the books?
They are stored away, stacked four stories high in a newly constructed corner of the library with two giant robotic arms to retrieve them.
“We want the library to be the students’ academic home,” said Sharon Bostick, dean of libraries on the campus. “A lot of them spend hours and hours in here. We want them to be comfortable, to want to be here.”

Read the Complete Article to Learn More
See Also: More About the Library Renovation (via UMKC)
See Also: Video of RooBot*
* RooBot? The UMKC school nickname is the Kangaroos.

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Libraries