Loans

Fast delivery of ordered items is crucial to the CSLS’ success. Thanks to rapid processing of orders and a well-organised courier system, ordered books arrive at their destinations within a short space of time.

Picking

Library users can order items in the libraries’ individual holdings at any time. The CSLS currently processes around 600 item orders and 50 scans per day. Library users order desired items via a login in their library’s catalogue. The catalogue sends the order to the warehouse management system (WMS) of the CSLS. The corresponding container automatically arrives at a picking station in approx. 6 minutes, where the logistician removes the item and prepares it for dispatch to the library or user.

Facts and Figures

600

item orders are currently processed by the CSLS per day.

6 min. –

the time it takes for an ordered item to travel from the warehouse to the picking workstation.

cranes and the central conveyor belt system ensure fast, gentle, correct transport in and out of the storage facility.

Loans procedure
- Library users order an item from their library’s catalogue.
- The library management system of the library forwards the order to the warehouse management system (WMS) of the CSLS.
- The logisticians trigger orders in the WMS based on operating priorities.
- The WMS orders the crane (STC) to fetch out the retrieval order.
- The STC fetches the container which contains the ordered item from the warehouse.
- The container arrives at the picking station via the automated lift and conveyor belt system.
- The WMS notifies the logistician where the item is located in the container.
- The item is removed from the container and scanned into the system using a barcode or RFID. Following this the order note is printed out.
- One or more “spacers” are inserted into the empty space in the container. They make it easier to subsequently replace the item in the container, and they prevent books from moving around too much inside the container. They are emission-free.
- The logistician places the item and order note in the illuminated destination transport container.
- The order is receipted and the container is returned to the storage facility.
Returns process
- When items are returned the corresponding container is ordered from the storage facility.
- As soon as the container arrives at the picking station the logistician is notified where the item should be replaced in the container. It is usually already identified by the spacer.
- The item is scanned into the system and replaced in the container after the spacer has been removed.
- The return is confirmed and the container is returned to the storage facility.

Courier

The CSLS aims to make ordered items available for courier delivery as quickly as possible. Items reach their order destination within a maximum of 48 hours.

SLSP courier

The SLSP (Swiss Library Service Platform) courier service autonomously collects deliveries during the night, delivering them to the ordering libraries within approx. 24 – 48 hours.

ZHB courier

The in-house courier service of the Central and University Library (ZHB) Lucerne makes deliveries to the library twice a day. Items which are ordered by 16.00 arrive at the library at 12.00 the following day; items ordered by 11.00 are available for collection from 17.00 onwards. In addition to this, the ZHB courier makes deliveries on Saturdays – correspondingly ordered items are available for collection at 13.00 on Saturday.

Postal mail

Other physical deliveries are made by Swiss Post.