Member Sharing Session delivered by Keith Walker at the 2008 BBSLG Conference, hosted by Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University, 9-11 July

1. Compact & Bijou?
Our experience of moving to a new campus and the impact on Library Services
Keith Walker - Napier University

2. Moving the Library
• Why move?
• How we moved
• The new campus
• Problems?
• Solutions!

3. Why Move?
• University Estates Strategy
– Currently 7 campuses
– 3 campus University by 2010
• Craiglockhart redevelopment to house Napier
University Business School (NUBS)
– “Flagship” campus for the University
• Sighthill no longer “fit for purpose”
• NUBS resources under one roof
– Combines stock at Sighthill & Craighouse campuses

4. Sighthill Library

5. The Move
• Integration of stock from two sites
– Majority from Sighthill. Tourism from Craighouse
– Opportunity to weed
• Stock boxed by Dewey Number
– i.e. box 1 started at 001 and so on
• Took place over the summer 2004
• Key texts placed in Merchiston Campus Reserve
Collection for resit students use
• Move advertised

6. The Move (cont.)

7. Craiglockhart

8. Our New Library!

9. Problems
• SPACE
– Much smaller footprint (although more stock!)
– Fewer study rooms (Group & Individual)
– Fewer study spaces
– Rolling stacks for journals
• NOISE
– Open plan building
– No roof on Library
– Right below the main lecture theatre

10. Solutions!
• Nothing we could do about the shape or size of
the building
• However we could rearrange what we had
– Tailoring space and resource to meet student demand
– Collection Development to take account of spatial
constraints
– Thinking outside the box (well, the Library…)

11. Silent Study Space
• Originally a print room for
photocopiers
• Photocopiers moved
outside and space
became a Silent Study
Room
• Now used as a quiet
room for laptop use

12. Silent Study Room
• Outside the Library
footprint
• Formerly a section for
PC’s
• Area walled/glassed off
and study tables put in
• PC’s transferred to within
the Library
• Very popular!

13. Social Study/Group area
• Less formal than a
group study room
• Comfortable for group
discussion
• In a “quieter” part of
the Library
• Coffee Shop feel
about it

14. Impact on Collection Development
• Finite amount of shelving so,
• Books
– new texts are still purchased, core texts multiple
copies, and where possible an e-copy is also bought
via MyiLibrary
– Previous editions are withdrawn
– Exploit the CLA digitisation route
• Journals
– E-only policy (where applicable)
– Shift existing print subs to electronic access

15. Lessons Learned?
• Actual move was fine
– Good system of packing and unpacking led to a
relatively easy job
• Listen to complaints/comments
– Library design was a fait accompli
– Reshuffled to pre-empt user needs
– Use comments to put pressure on Senior
Management (retention & student experience)
– Constantly evolve. Your users will very quickly tell
you what they want!

16. …and finally
• Moving back to Craiglockhart has allowed us to bring our
War Poets Collection “home”.
• Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen met here during
WWI
• Many first editions and related works