Oak Creek Public Library is upgrading one of its most important pieces of equipment: the sorter! This automated system can scan the barcodes and RFID tags of recently returned library materials, organizing them for shelving or shipment to other locations in the Milwaukee County Federated Library System. Sorters are a fundamental part of the modern library in that they greatly reduce manual labor while increasing the speed with which returned materials are placed back into circulation. Since Oak Creek Library’s sorter is over 10 years old, it is due for an upgrade that will support improved software, meet the demand of current usage, and maintain efficiency.

What does this mean for you? Starting Monday, October 27 the current sorter will be disassembled and removed. Our maintenance team will then do some construction on the wall of the indoor book return in order to accommodate the upcoming changes. Following that, the new sorter will be installed in mid- to late-November.

During this time, patrons inside the library will need to return their materials to the blue bins available near the first floor Service Desk. Alternatively, the drive-thru book drop located on the south side of the building will continue to be operational. Please note that it will take longer for materials to be checked in—we anticipate up to 5 days at the library’s busiest—since everything will need to be sorted manually over the next few weeks. Our staff will backdate all materials to the day they were returned, meaning that they will not accrue any extra late fees. Simply be aware that it may take some additional time for items to clear from your account after you drop them off.

We appreciate everyone’s patience while we undergo this process. The sorter will be up and running again soon and, when it does, we can guarantee that it will work better than ever before.