Patent ID: 7844573

Claim:
A method of performing an inventory of media stored in a storage device system, the method comprising: determining that at least one storage media device library associated with media in a storage system is a sighted storage media device library, wherein a machine-readable label comprising printed indicia is located on the media, and wherein the printed indicia comprises an identifier that identifies the media; determining that at least one storage media device library associated with media in the storage system is a blind storage media device library, wherein an on-media label is located in the electronic data stored in the media in the blind storage media device library, and wherein the on-media label comprises an identifier that identifies the media; storing information in a database about which storage media device libraries are blind storage media device libraries and which are sighted storage media device libraries; detecting an addition of a new piece of media to a first storage media device library; if the first storage media device library is a sighted storage media device library, scanning the printed indicia on the machine-readable label to obtain the identifier that identifies the new piece of media; if the storage media device library is a blind storage media device library, reading from electronic data stored in the new piece of media the on-media label to obtain the identifier that identifies the new piece of media; and updating the storage management database to indicate the media present in the storage media device libraries.