determining one or more book covers as being present upon a staging platform between first and second walls oriented in parallel with each other and perpendicular with respect to the staging platform;

automatically directing inward movement of at least one of the first and second walls until sensing contact by one or more of the first and second walls with the one or more book covers;

automatically withdrawing the at least one of the first and second walls from a point of contact with the one or more book covers, wherein an operating window is defined by a distance between the first and second walls at the point of contact;

in sequence, transferring each of the one or more book covers via a lifting arm upward from the staging platform and at least initially laterally from a lifted position to a binding unit.