LIBR 580

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LIBR 580

Managing Collections Winter 2009


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The Materials Cycle

• De-selection based on
• Use
• Condition
• Knowledge of community
• Professional intuition
• Desire to provide balanced views and edges of
  spectrum

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De-selection is Known By Many Names

• withdrawal
• weeding
• de-acquisition
• book retirement
• stock relegation
• purging
• refreshing the collection
• biblioeuthanasia

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Why Weed?

• 1. To save space
• on-site storage solutions
• make space for growing areas of the physical
  collection
• reconfigure space for other uses people,
  programming
• 2. To improve access
• a well-weeded collection allows users to find
  materials more easily
• weeding the collection often increases
  circulation

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Why Weed?

• 3. To improve the environment
• cleaner, tidier look, more inviting for users
• improves preservation conditions for materials
• 4. To examine the collection
• make decisions about areas of the collection e.g.
  reference materials
• confirm which areas of the collection are being
  used or not used

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Weeding Policies

• Public Library
• goal is often to meet the current needs and
  interests of users, although some public
  libraries have a research mandate
• circulation statistics are important
• some materials get high use, and are often weeded
  based on condition
• Special Library
• usually small, so space can be an issue
• materials can date quickly especially if
  scientific or technical in nature

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Weeding Policies

• Academic Library
• long-term research interests important
• circulation levels are less important
• cooperative selection and storage arrangements
  crucial
• School Library
• collection tied to curriculum
• space usually very limited
• materials get high use, so often weeded based on
  condition

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Some points to consider

• Is a low use item still considered part of a core
  collection?
• Remember that subjective decisions are
  difficultkeep in mind the purpose of your
  collection and the desire to maintain balance
  across the collection/points of view.
• Always be sure to secure a replacement copy of a
  popular, well-used item before discarding!

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De-selecting for storage

• Compact storage
• Off-site storage
• On-site Automated Retrieval Systems

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Surely we have a better option than these!
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Compact shelving

• Usually on-site
• Increases storage per sq/ft capacity
• Manual or automatic
• Public or staff access
• Very heavy (limits for retro-installations)
• On-site, self-serve greatest savings
• Common in many non-library organizations (govt,
  hospitals)

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Off-site storage facilities

• Most common solution for many large, research
  collections
• New England Depository (1942)
• Examples all over NA many collaborative
• High-density warehouse shelving
• No browsing user requests through OPAC
• 1-3 day delivery time common

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Automated Retrieval Systems

• 50-year old industrial technology
• CSUN - 1990 - successful facility
• Erasmus, East Michigan, UNLV, Sonoma State
• First Canadian installation - UBC
• Industrial shelving, robotic cranes, bins
• No browsing or public access
• Retrieval time - 1-2 minutes
• Potential for consortia - last copy

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• Automated retrieval system at Sonoma State
  University

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Storage Policy

• Storage never popular with users
• User input - nice, but not always a reality
• Storage policy - little-used materials
• Active de-selection policy important - reverse
  decisions
• Internal policies for duplication and condition
  of items
• How do these policies change the nature of
  scholarship - browsing?

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PreservationConservation
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Ongoing preservation activities include...

• Proper handling of materials by staff and
  clientele
• Cleaning of materials and library spaces
• Environmental controls
• Security to prevent theft mutilation
• Disaster preparedness planning training
• Binding and repairing of materials
• Replacing and reformatting materials
• microfilming, digitization
• Appropriate insurance coverage

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Environmental control considerations

• The comfort zone for humans is different from the
  comfort zone for library materials
• lighting considerations
• temperature
• humidity
• Trend is to design libraries for users and
  activities
• Design and function should always balance needs
  of users and needs of materials

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The Food Debate

• Long-time battle ground b/w staff and users
• Many libraries now allow food and drink
• Carlson, S. (2001) The Deserted Library Chronicle
  of Higher Education, 48 (12) A35-39.
• Influences of social and informal learning
• A balance between being being welcoming and
  protecting collection
• Food and drink must come with increased cleaning
  levels as pests like libraries
• Silverfish, termites, cockroaches, bookworms,
  rats, mice

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Security

• Open stacks higher risk
• More entrances/exits higher risk
• Open windows higher risk
• Like food, its a balance between creating
  welcoming and comfortable spaces with security
  needs
• Security issues also extend to personal property
  and safety

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Disaster Planning

• Have a disaster plan
• http//preserve.harvard.edu/emergencies/plan.html
  
• Maintain a readily accessible set of blueprints
  showing water pipes, electrical wires/circuits
• Plan for which materials are a priority

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Disaster Planning

• Be ready for fires, floods, earthquakes
• 70 of library fires are deliberately set
• Often linked to a break-in or vandalism
• More damage caused by water from sprinklers or
  hoses
• Flood waters are often dirty polluted
• Earthquake damage often causes water damage

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Insurance

• Very difficult area for collection managers
• Insurance companies do not want to insure
  materials that cannot be replaced easily
• Difficult to agree on the value of the collection
• Always have an up-to-date copy of the
  catalogue/inventory off-site

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Conserving at-risk materials

• De-acidification of brittle paper
• Storage
• environmentally controlled conditions
• temperature, light, humidity controlled
• security

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Digital Content

• solves some security/theft issues such as
  vandalism of print materials
• concerns about long-term preservation
• remember that digital materials can be vulnerable
  to disaster, including sabotage

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Resources

• Library Storage Facilities and the Future of
  Print Collections In NA - Lizanne Payne