Those of you who have been reading BiblioFile for any length
of time have seen many articles about the Library's severe space problems.
University Library buildings were essentially full, in terms of shelving,
in 1995, and the years since have witnessed a series of stop-gap measures,
from squeezing in extra stack ranges to storing low-use material at
the Harvard Depository in Southboro, Massachusetts. The crowded conditions
have made it difficult for users to locate books and nearly doubled
the time needed to reshelve a truckload of books.
I'm delighted to inform you, then, that Facilities Management has issued
a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a consultant to advise on the design
and operation of a local storage facility, as well as on potential renovations
to other Library buildings. The RFP project overview states, "While
the needs for a storage facility are quite different than those for
a library re-programming and renovation effort, it is desirable to consider
both in a joint study. Storage issues are inevitably linked to the library
system as a whole, and individual library facilities will be affected
by the addition of a storage facility. We propose looking at Brown's
libraries in a broad range manner while simultaneously planning the
specifics of a storage facility. The intention is for a quick, conceptual
look into Brown's overall library system while the main purpose of this
study is to determine the possibilities for a storage facility and identify
its specific program, size and site options. The conceptual library
system analysis will be used as a planning document for future study
of specific library renovations and re-programming."
Responses to the RFP were due on October 18, and the consultants are
being asked to complete their work by February 2002. Site acquisition,
architect selection, and building design for a storage facility would
take place between February and November 2002, and, if all goes well,
the building would be completed by August 2003. Some sites being considered
are nearby, and in no case are any more than ten minutes away by car.
While we will not have the final go-ahead on the building until the
consultant's report is completed, it is clear that the University is
now committed to a "fast track" solution to the problem. This commitment
was emphasized when, at its October meeting, the Corporation "approved
an amendment to a bond resolution, previously approved, which will allow
the University to borrow funds to construct the Facilities Management
Building, to undertake renovations and improvements to academic space,
and to acquire or construct a library storage facility (pending appropriate
approvals of a specific plan for such a facility)." (
Brown
News Bureau Release, October 17, 2001).
Because of his experience with the complex John Hay Library renovation,
I have asked Associate University Librarian for Special Collections
Sam Streit to chair the planning committee for the storage facility
and Library improvements study. Needless to say, Sam and other members
of the Library staff will also be spending time with Facilities Management,
with our consultants, and with other members of the Brown community--including
faculty and students--as this important project moves ahead.
The attention and input of faculty will be especially important as we
work together to envision the best design for our Library of the future,
and to make decisions on which items in the collections will move to
the new building. It is still too early to fix upon an exact figure,
but it is clear that bringing relief to the open stacks will require
the relocation of several hundred thousand volumes. There are a number
of ways to go about this, from storing back runs of journals now available
in digital form to reviewing books that have not circulated in the recent
past. At the University of Maryland, for example, where 400,000 volumes
are set to move, "slips were inserted in designated books for several
months bearing the notation, 'This item has not circulated since 1980.
It is being considered for transfer to on-campus remote storage. To
request that the item remain in this building, please complete the form
below'." (Library
Issues, University of Maryland Library Newsletter, Fall 2001).
It is inevitable that no process we use will please everyone or be free
of error. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that:
- this storage
facility will be nearby and convenient for use;
- anything sent to storage in error can be easily returned to the open
stacks; and
- taking pressure off the extraordinarily crowded open stacks will
greatly enhance collection access and efficiency of use for everyone.
Accordingly, we ask for your help in making this exciting and challenging
task as painless as possible for all of us.
The likely advent of a near-campus storage facility, coupled with possible
improvement in other Library buildings, is exciting news and we owe
a special note of thanks to President Simmons for her personal interest
in this project and for her role in moving it ahead on the University's
agenda. You will be hearing more about this in the days ahead.
--
Merrily E. Taylor Joukowsky Family University Librarian
