The Big Shift: How VCU Libraries Moved 1.5 Million Volumes to Prepare for the Construction of a New Library
1. The Big Shift
Charleston Library Conference
November 4-8, 2014
Ibironke Lawal (ilawal@vcu.edu)
Patricia Selinger (peselinger@vcu.edu )
Barbara Anderson (bjanders@vcu.edu)
2. Abstract
VCU Libraries grappled with space problems for
years.
All initiatives to create functional learning spaces
failed to get us to where we wanted to be until now.
This presentation is about the process of weeding,
withdrawing, re-shelving, moving and storing over 1
million volumes to prepare for the construction of a
new library
3. Outline
Introduction – Fast Facts
The Problem
Literature Review
Plan
Execution
Conclusion
Q & A
4. Fast Facts
One of the nation’s top public research universities
Located in Richmond Virginia, the state’s capital
Enrolls over 31,000 students
Two campuses:
Monroe Park Campus James Branch Cabell Library (JBC)
Medical College of Virginia Campus Tompkins McCaw Library (TML)
VCU Medical Center including the university health system
Offers state of the art care in more than 200 specialty areas
Serves as the region’s only level 1 Trauma Center
5. Fast Facts
One of Virginia’s Outstanding Library Systems
Holdings exceed two million volumes
61,000 Serials
60,000 E-books
Nationally Prominent Collections in Health &
Biological Sciences
6. Comic Books
One of the
Largest Comic
Books
Collections in
the Country
15. Cabell built in 1970, Addition in 1975
Maximum
Capacity of
750,000
volumes
16. The Problem
Growth
was too
rapid.
Between
1995 &
2009 We
added
813,000
Between
1995 &
200Betw
een 1995
& 2009
We
added
813,0009
We
added
813,000
17. The Problem
Growth in the VCU
Community
1970-1971
-672 Faculty
-12,000 Students
2013-2014
-3,000 Faculty
-31,000 Students
18. Action Taken 2002 & 2004
17,289 linear feet of compact
shelving
-We moved materials,
journals 1990 and older
- Stopped subscribing to
print journals
-Low use monographs
-Non book materials of
enduring value
-Print versions of electronic
Abstracts and Indexes
19. GOALS
Relieve the overflowing stacks
Reduce the frustration of our users
Increase usability of the collections
22. The Problem
LibQUAL results of 2008 showed significant
dissatisfaction.
The cry for more seats, more study rooms, and
less crowded stacks was loud and clear.
23. LibQUAL Results – comment by a student
“A library is a unique place for quiet study,
reflection and intellectual meditation. Cabell
library does not foster that environment
because of limitations of the physical space. It
is very difficult to find a quiet spot. There is
little I believe can be done to remedy the
situation in the current library space. A new
library is needed…”
24. ACTION
Hence we decided to do something about it.
The University acquired a former grocery store
and repurposed part of it for an off-site storage
facility.
25. 2009 Off-Site Facility
500
Academic
Center
-We
started
moving
low use
materials
on a
regular
basis
32. The New Learning Commons
18,000 square
feet of study
and work
space
1,100 square
feet
multipurpose
room
7 new study
rooms
438 new seats
83 PC’s
12 Apple
White Boards
36. LibQUAL 2011
Results show excitement about the new space
“The new second floor is the best
gift VCU has ever given its students.
I use the library for group study
mostly and without it, I know my
GPA would suffer”.
38. LibQUAL 2013
Results show we are back to where we started
General dissatisfaction with the space came
through in the quantitative as well as in
qualitative parts of the results.
39. Funds allocated
Again we knew we had to do something
2013, State allocated money for the
construction of a new building and the
renovation of the old.
Could not have come at a more opportune
time.
40. Literature Review
Freeman (2005)
Traditional Library cannot serve today’s needs
Students at all academic levels want to go to
the Library more than ever
Expectation – the library is where the action is
Faculty sees Library as an extension of the
classroom
Students engage in a collaborative learning
process
41. Literature Review
Freeman’s vivid description of a modern academic library
suits our needs
Kent State Math Emporium and Lounge/Study area
Pulled 600,000 books from four floors and send to storage to
make room for the Math Emporium and Lounge study area
NCSU – goal was to provide a space for different constituents to
interact collaborate, and innovate
bookBot – an automated book delivery mechanism also served as a
storage for low use items
43. In the Beginning
Review of materials in both storage facilities.
Identified those to withdraw by putting a black line on
the spine, using sharpies
Barcodes scanned into an excel files to be used for
updating the records
Review of materials in reference
Integrating essential reference materials into circulating
collection;
Deaccessioning outdated ones and electronically duplicated
ones.
44. Review of Government Documents
Two simultaneous processes
Deaccessioning of those neither relevant to our curriculum nor
our mission, 17,421
One cataloging staff spent 25-50% during this time processing
withdrawals
Deaccessioning of superseded items
The other process is identifying those to be offered to other
institutions in consultation with the head of the regional center
45. Review of Government documents contd.
In keeping with the regulation, we offered
those items that qualify to other institutions and
waited 45 days.
If no institution requested them, then it will be
safe to deaccession and remove from the
collection. About 37, 695 fit this category
55. 3rd Floor
Relocate oversize books
Move collection N from 4th floor to 3rd floor
Collections F-N now on the 3rd floor
Over 3 million microforms and 2000 square feet of
floor space
Keep 35 cabinets containing major newspapers and
store remaining
Store microforms and convert to user space
Store microforms and construct stacks
Relocate sorting area
57. 3rd Floor - Innovative media
Outdated computer
files, outdated formats
were withdrawn.
Cd’s that accompanied
monographs were filed
alongside their parents
Music scores were
interfiled with the rest
of the general
collection.
62. Fourth Floor
Space relinquished with moving N to
third floor will be part of Special
Collections
Consolidate the oversize collections
into one location
67. Consolidating the spaces reclaimed
After all the weeding and moving
was completed
Next step was to consolidate the
spaces, shift, and re-shelve
The last floor was 4th floor
72. Conclusion
Our endeavor to create functional spaces started in the late
1990’s
Essentially we touched 1.5million volumes and thousands of
bibliographic records
We did it with 90 staff, helpers, and volunteers in four major
departments
We reviewed, touched, moved, stored, or daccessioned in a
mammoth glacier we call
75. References
Anonymous. (1975). A library with room to grow. VCU Magazine, no. 44.
p. 20.
Barry, J. (1970). New library is ‘service organization’. Commonwealth
Times, vol. 2, no. 2.
Brown, S., Bennett, C., Henson, B., and Valk, A. (2014). Next-Gen learning
spaces. Washington, DC, Association of Research Libraries (SPEC kit 342).
Day, A.; Vickery, J. Davis, H. (2012). Accidental collection assessment: The
NCSU library’s collection move. Charleston, Charleston Library
Conference Proceedings.
76. References
Duke, J. K. (2013). The shift. Richmond, VCU Libraries, Internal
Memorandum, 12p.
Freeman, G.T. (2005). The library as place: Changes in learning patterns,
collections, technology, and use, In: Library as place: Rethinking roles,
rethinking space. Washington D.C., Council on Library and Information
Resources.
Klinger, T. (2012). Smart pull for remote storage: How to keep (mostly)
everyone happy when making a large collection move to remote storage.
Charleston, Charleston Library Conference Proceedings.