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Libraries, as a peaceful arena for promoting knowledge and culture, are often challenged by various means, which are mostly linked to the material handling. However, literature shorts fall in either recognizing how material handling comes under threat or evaluating the influence of promising solutions on the library’s performance. Thus, this study aims to present a comprehensive understanding of material handling in the library through the identification of characteristics, key performance indicators (KPIs) and challenges of this driving factor.

This research benefits from a triangulation of qualitative methods, including systematic literature review, case study, in-depth semi-structured interview (SSI) and focus group meetings, to present a comprehensive understanding of material handling in the library.

The initial findings highlight the characteristics, i.e. incremental inventory, no packaging, open access order, etc., and the KPIs of material handling in the library: flexibility, productivity, service quality and cost. In addition, the challenges that limit the libraries’ performance are discovered based on field observation through five Nordic libraries (Norway and Finland), which are further studied for discovering the potential remedies. Corollaries advise that material handling challenges in the library are potentially tackled through three pillars, known as Triple E’s: employee, equipment and environment.

The performance of libraries is notably linked to the material handling processes and this agenda has received limited attention by academia. This study is among the initial research efforts in this context seeking to develop a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics, KPIs and challenges of material handling in the library and facilitate the improvement of library’s performance.