Automated Material Handling (AMH) System for The Urbana Free Library (Illinois Public Library)

The Urbana Free Library (TUFL) occupies an approximately 50,000 square-foot building at the intersection of Race and Green Streets in the city of Urbana, Illinois. The Library serves a population of over 38,000 residents and employs around 70 staff members. Our library circulated over half a million physical items during FY25, with a collection size of over 386,000 (physical and digital). The Library’s historic building was originally constructed in 1918 and was expanded in 1975 and 2005. We completed a partial renovation of our first-floor public space and staff space in late 2025. The proposed AMH system will be located in the newly renovated staff workroom area. TUFL seeks proposals from qualified vendors to provide an automated material handling (AMH) solution to support a more efficient, streamlined circulation workflow. The primary goal of this project is to enhance staff efficiency and improve the overall patron experience by implementing a system that automatically sorts patron returns into totes or bins and allows for quicker reshelving.