New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries Face Off Against Washington’s King County Public Library in the Fourth Annual Battle of the Book Sorters

Oct. 27, 2014

What:  The New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library will join forces to take on Washington state’s King County Public Library for the fourth annual Book Sorting Competition. The systems will compete to see who can sort the most books in one hour. New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library share a state-of-the-art, automated book sorter (as well as all book delivery operations), so they form one team. King County, which has its own book sorter, won last year, and is currently leading the annual contest with two wins to New York’s one. This year’s winner gets the “Lyngsoe Sorting Cup” (named after the vendor that built NYPL’s sorter), bragging rights, and the spoils of an annual bet: if New York wins, it receives Seattle’s Best Coffee and salmon. If King County wins, it gets Junior’s cheesecake and Ferrara’s pastries.

When: Oct. 29, 10 am (King County starts at 1 pm eastern time). A winner should be announced by 2:30 pm.

Where: Library Services Center, home of the New York sorter, 31-11 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, NY

Facts About The New York Sorter

  • It is a high-tech machine that scans barcodes on materials returned from New York and Brooklyn Public Library branches so those materials can be processed, arranged, and delivered back to patrons within 24 hours.
  • It is  238 feet long
  • The speed of the sorter is 3.5 miles per hour, 4.9 feet per second, or 294 feet per minute
  • At normal speed, 8,000-8500 items are sorted per hour or 133-142 per minute
  • The current record is 12,818 items per hour or 214 items per minute
  • The error rate is less than one percent
  • The New York Public Library started using the sorter in 2010. Brooklyn Public Library began using it in 2013 after the formation of BookOps, a fully consolidated, shared library technical services organization that serves both systems. The shared services are designed to save both systems a combined $3.5 million.

Quote: “King County Library beating us this year? Fuhgeddaboutit,” said Salvatore Magaddino, Deputy Director of BookOps. “We are ready, and the Empire State will tower over Mt. Rainer! While the competitive juices are flowing, it’s important to note that this fun event is a way to showcase the power of the sorter, which has so improved efficiency for both NYPL and BPL, and has greatly improved service for the people of New York City. No matter what happens in the contest, our patrons are still winners.”

Contacts:

New York Public Library

Angela Montefinise | angelamontefinise@nypl.org

Brooklyn Public Library

Emma Woods| emma@berlinrosen.com

About The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With 92 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars, and has seen record numbers of attendance and circulation in recent years. The New York Public Library serves more than 18 million patrons who come through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.  

About Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is an independent library system for the 2.5 million residents of Brooklyn. It is the fifth largest library system in the United States with 60 neighborhood libraries located throughout the borough. BPL offers free programs and services for all ages and stages of life, including a large selection of books in more than 30 languages, author talks, literacy programs and public computers. BPL’s eResources, such as eBooks and eVideos, catalog information and free homework help, are available to customers of all ages 24 hours a day at our website: www.bklynlibrary.org.