October 3, 2005 Source: University of British Columbia: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/media/releases/2005/mr-05-118.html Canada’s First Library Robot Serves Phase One of Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Canada’s first and North America’s largest library robot is a key feature in the first phase of the $68 million Irving K. Barber Learning Centre opening today at the University of British Columbia. The completed north wing of the Learning Centre has been two years in the making. It houses the robot, a state-of-the-art Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) that expands the Library’s capacity to house print materials. The wing also features a fireproof vault for rare and special collections and the Ridington Room, a new double-floor reading area with original, commissioned glass artwork. "We’re delighted to celebrate the completion of this significant phase of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre," says UBC President Martha Piper. "The Learning Centre will play a fundamental role in supporting and encouraging lifelong learning at UBC, across B.C. and beyond." In 2002, UBC alumnus Irving K. (Ike) Barber, founding chairman of Slocan Forest Products Ltd., donated more than $20 million to renovate and expand access to the services and the knowledge base of UBC’s Main Library. The B.C. Government contributed $10 million and UBC matched these sums. "The Learning Centre’s library robot will revolutionize library access and enhance the learning support available to UBC students and the public," says Barber. "That feature and others of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will form an important part of the network of knowledge and resources in B.C." The new construction replaces the Main Library’s original north wing built in 1948. The ASRS consists of four aisles, each measuring 100 feet long, 65 feet high and 45 feet wide. Floor-to-ceiling shelves store 19,000 stainless steel bins, which contain about 800,000 bar-coded volumes and other materials. In each aisle, automated mini-load cranes slide back and forth on tracks. The ASRS is linked to the Library’s online catalogue. After Library staff or users request an item, the robotic cranes identify and retrieve the correct steel bin, matching the location of the bin to the requested bar code. The automated cranes deliver bins to a sorting station where staff retrieve and relay requested items to the circulation desk. The entire process takes about two minutes . The ASRS stores 30 per cent of the collections previously housed in the Main Library, much of which was in locked storage. With the capacity to store 1.8 million volumes, the ASRS provides growth space for at least the next 15 years. The Library has a circulating collection of about 500,000 items that remain on open shelving, available for browsing. Commissioned by Mrs. Jean C. Barber, striking glass artwork by Vancouver artist John Nutter is suspended from the double-floor atrium of the Ridington Room. Construction has now begun on the centre and south wings of the Main Library. The original core was built in the 1920s and the south wing was built in the 1960s. When completed in 2007, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will have about 200,000 square feet of new floor space and more than 46,000 square feet of renovated floor space, fully equipped to support wireless and other innovative technologies. The Learning Centre will serve as a gateway to UBC’s extensive library collections and to other library collections around the world. It will boast a lap-top loan program, computer labs and will house some of UBC innovative interdisciplinary learning programs. For the live webcast of the event, visit: www.ubc.ca/webcast. For more information about the Learning Centre: www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca.
Backgrounder
Irving K. (Ike) Barber – Biography Irving K. Barber, 82, is widely recognized as a one of B.C.'s most prominent entrepreneurs and as a man who, over six decades, has worked hard to ensure that B.C.'s forests benefit British Columbians and that B.C.'s forest industry stays competitive in the global marketplace. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Barber first came to the University of British Columbia in September 1945. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry in 1950. In 1952, he qualified as a professional registered forester and he has been involved ever since in the B.C. forest industry working with people at all levels and throughout the province. In 1978, at the age of 55, he founded Slocan Forest Products Ltd., which he built into one of the leading lumber producers in North America. Barber retired as Chairman in February 2002. Mr. Barber's leadership has been recognized throughout his career. In 1996, he was awarded the Forest Excellence Award in Communications for his involvement in the publication of The Working Forest of British Columbia. In 1997, he was given the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Pacific Region. The Registered Professional Foresters Association named Barber the Distinguished Forester of the Year in 1999. In May 2002, the University of Northern British Columbia awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree. Mr. Barber has been appointed to the Order of Canada and to the Order of British Columbia. Mr. Barber is a visionary thinker who has a strong commitment to strengthening B.C. and improving the quality of life for B.C. residents. Barber's generosity has been instrumental in helping to establish programs to promote research with the creation of the I.K. Barber Enhanced Forestry Laboratory at the University of Northern British Columbia, the Irving K. Barber Diabetes Research Endowment Fund at UBC, and the Ike Barber Human Islet Transplant Laboratory at Vancouver Hospital in partnership with UBC. Barber and his wife Jean have three children, nine grandchildren, and more than a dozen great-grandchildren. -30- | 