DATE: November 18, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Library Department
TITLE: APPROVAL OF LIBRARY PURCHASE OF REPLACEMENT AUTOMATED MATERIALS HANDLING MACHINE
RECOMMENDATION
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Staff recommends that the City Council approve an agreement with Bibliotheca, LLC, in the amount of $211,687 for the purchase of a replacement Automated Materials Handling (AMH) sorting machine and associated maintenance; approve the procurement as a sole source purchase; and authorize the City Manager to execute the agreement.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
The Oceanside Public Library maintains a collection of roughly 165,000 items distributed among three Library branches, one literacy learning center, and a home delivery system, as well as mobile libraries, outreach vehicles and Mini-Libraries. All material returned to the Civic Center Library, handled by the Library’s courier or home delivery systems, or newly purchased for the Library are processed through an Automated Materials Handling system.
The sorting machine currently being used was obtained by the City as a previously used machine eight years ago, and passed its expected end-of-life in 2024. The existing machine requires frequent repairs, and replacement parts are increasingly difficult to obtain, leading to periods of non-functionality and associated increases in required staff time and potential injury risk. The new AMH has a footprint which is better fitted to the space it will occupy in the Civic Center Library and will offer a significant improvement in its ergonomics and safety. The machine would be obtained as a sole source purchase, as it is a proprietary system for libraries, exclusive from the manufacturer. It is a new machine, not a new system, replacing the bulk of the previous one, using some previous parts, attaching to the purpose-built wall connections, and remaining tied in to the other Bibliotheca products previously invested in.
FISCAL IMPACT
In 2025, the City Council approved a budget appropriation toward the Bibliotheca AMH replacement/upgrade as part of an overall Library technology appropriation.
The total purchase amount of the new AMH machine is $211,687. The amount would be charged to the Library Support Services account shown in the table below, where sufficient funds are available.
|
Expenditure |
Account |
Amount |
Available |
|
Capital Outlay/Machinery & Equipment |
350357101.5704 |
211,687 |
211,687 |
|
Total |
|
$211,687 |
$211,687 |
COMMISSION OR COMMITTEE REPORT
The Library Board of Trustees approved this purchase at its regularly scheduled meeting on October 27, 2026.
CITY ATTORNEY’S ANALYSIS
The referenced documents have been reviewed by the City Attorney and approved as to form.
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Prepared by: CJ Di Mento, Library Director
Reviewed by: Michael Gossman, Assistant City Manager
Submitted by: Jonathan Borrego, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Vendor Proposal
2. Justification for Sole Source