NTU Library’s ASRS Service Center Officially Launched

After introducing the first Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) into Taiwan, NTU Library officially launched the ASRS Service Center on October 30. The ASRS is located on the 2-4 basement floors of the Multi-Purpose Classroom Building on campus, and the ASRS Service Center on the first floor of the building, which is convenient for faculty and students to collect requested books.

The ASRS is a solution to efficient storage and retrieval using racks, containers, and stack cranes. NTU Library staff spent years deliberating the library’s demand for an ASRS, referred to similar system architectures abroad, factored in the collection plans of all the libraries on campus, and finally determined the appropriate ASRS design for NTU.

With the support of the University, NTU Library completed the bidding for tenders in May 2014. The installation began in April 2017 in accordance with the construction progress of the Multi-Purpose Classroom Building. After completion in 2018, the building is equipped with both teaching and book storage/retrieval spaces, becoming one of the few book storage facilities in Taiwan that were built through multinational collaboration.

The system is expected to house over 1.2 million books, five times more spatially efficient than traditional library shelving. With the launch of the ASRS Service Center, the system can now retrieve a requested book and deliver it to the service desk within 2 minutes for the reader to collect. Moreover, the system’s precision in book retrieval and its function of smart inventory will enhance management efficiency, enabling the library to monitor the fill rate of the book boxes and the overall remaining capacity of the system.

Since establishment in 1928, NTU Library has continuously collected and accumulated various types of academic resources to support teaching, learning, and research among our faculty and students. Till now, our library boasts a collection of 4 million books and a total of 8 million items—the largest collection among university libraries in Taiwan. To accommodate the increasing physical collection, we have constantly added and adjusted shelves in the library. The introduction of the ASRS provides not only a timely solution to the lack of storage space, but also an opportunity to spare more space for other reader services.

The opening of the ASRS Service Center also marked the 20th anniversary of the relocation of NTU Library to its current site. While reaching this milestone, NTU Library will also continue providing quality and professional services to boost research capacity and excellence for the betterment of NTU and Taiwan.

Contact: Wei-Chung Cheng (鄭惟中), Library Extension Services, +886-2-33662331