A data cartridge handling apparatus comprises a ring-shaped carousel (40) rotatably mounted within a housing (22). Cartridge-accommodating cells (52) are angularly arranged about the carousel between an inner periphery (48) and an outer periphery (50) of the carousel. A transducing drive (70) is mounted within the housing and outside the outer periphery. A motor (60) rotates the carousel to facilitate selective alignment of a selected cell (52S) with the drive (70) along a radial dimension (106) of the carousel. A picker (100, 200) is mounted within the housing at a point within the inner periphery of the carousel (40). The picker (100, 200) has a picker arm (104, 204). A distal end of the picker arm has a gripper (110, 210) which selectively engages and disengages a data cartridge (72). The picker arm linearly translates in the radial dimension for the purpose of moving an engaged data cartridge from the selected cell (52S) to a loading position of the drive (70), and conversely for unloading a data cartridge from the drive and withdrawing the same into the selected cell. The gripper comprises a thumb (112, 230). One of the gripper and the thumb is pivotally connected to the picker arm to allow the thumb to selective engage and disengage a feature (160) on the data cartridge. A trip member (150, 250) is mounted in the housing between the outer periphery of the carousel and the drive for actuating pivoting of the gripper, and thereby actuating the selective disengagement of the picker thumb with the feature on the data cartridge for loading of the data cartridge into the drive.