November 25, 2005

Automated Retrieval of Library Books

To the Editor:

Fred D. White tries to make the case that automated retrieval systems devalue books and reduce scholars' ability to perform research ("Libraries Lost: Storage Bins and Robotic Arms," Libraries, September 30). He is simply wrong on a number of counts. ...

Many online catalogs provide a variety of ways in which one can relate books to one another, including by call number. Because books are shelved in call-number order, browsing the call numbers in the online