Abstract: A system and method of automatically printing a label for optical disk cartridges residing in an optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device, wherein each of a first number these optical disk cartridges is associated with a media ID. If the controller of the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device determines that a label flag is not associated with the selected optical disk cartridge, the controller will cause a printer to print a label including the media ID associated with the selected optical disk cartridge. The printer may be an external device connected to the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device, or it may be integrated within the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device. Once the controller has sent a command to the printer to print the label, a label flag is written to data storage within the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device to indicate that a label has been printed for the selected optical disk cartridge.

Abstract: A system and method for the storage and retrieval of off-line optical disk cartridges for use with an optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device which stores a number of optical disk cartridges near-line. Each of the off-line and near-line optical disk cartridges is assigned a unique alphanumeric code, and a label including this unique alphanumeric code and an optical code representing same is externally affixed on the optical disk cartridge. Each of the optical disks encased by the optical disk cartridges is then preformatted so that the unique alphanumeric code of the optical disk cartridge encasing the optical disk becomes the unique preformatted disk ID of the optical disk. A list of the preformatted disk ID's is then stored in data storage in the optical disk cartridge storage and retrieval device.