Sarah Goldstein, Head of Digital Assets and Preservation Services, Mt. Holyoke College (formerly Visual Resources Curator, Vassar College) presentation from VRA 28 Atlanta. "The Monolith Problem, or How Not to Phase Out Your Analog Slide Collection" for the "After the Transition: Planning for Collections Storage & Workspace Changes in the Digital Environment" session.

1. The Monolith Problem, or How Not to Phase Out Your
Analog Slide Collection
Prepared for:
After the Transition: Planning for Collections Storage &
Workspace Changes in the Digital Environment
by
Sarah Goldstein, Head of Digital Assets and Preservation Services,
Mt. Holyoke College (formerly Visual Resources Curator, Vassar
College)

2. Timeline:
July 2007: There is severe leaking in the Taylor Hall roof above the VRL, and we are told we
will need to be relocated while the roof is repaired the following summer.
May 2008: The VRL is relocated to the far end of campus. Half of the slide collection is put
into storage, half is installed near the VRL temporary offices. Hoping to take advantage of
the time we are out of our permanent home, we come up with a plan for a modest renovation
that would transform our workspace and better suit our digital endeavors.
November 2008: A grant proposal to an alumni foundation to help cover the costs of the
modest renovation is denied; Vassar’s endowment loses close to 30% of its value. The
College shelves plans to renovate the VR space.
March 2009: Due to construction project management miscommunication, the VRL must
move back to Taylor almost three months earlier than originally planned, right after March
Break as classes are starting up again. The space is not entirely ready resulting in a
considerable amount of chaos.

3. location of Vassar VRL
Taylor Hall

4. View of the old Vassar VRL space, circa 2003(?).

5. “Monoliths”

6. Custom-built slide carrels: there are 12 in
all around the perimeter of the room

9. “The space is simply not designed to
handle the changing duties of the staff nor
the specialized technology and equipment
needed for the evolving role of the VRL.
The environment is dominated by the slide
drawers while the digital work is relegated
to corners.”
(from “A Concept Document for the Renovation of
the VC Visual Resources Library” January, 2008)

10. One of the proposed renovations of VRL main area with slides totally removed

11. monoliths
carrels
New plan of VRL main area with overlay of
footprint of monoliths and slide carrels

12. Temporary VRL relocation slide plan:
-about 3000 slides were weeded and thrown out
-remaining slides were condensed in the drawers as much as
possible
-the monoliths were dismantled & taken off their stands
-slides were divided into one set that came to the temporary offices
& one set that went into off-site, non-retrievable storage
-we had hoped to leave the off-site slides permanently off-site, and
conduct weeding in sections over the following years.

13. Old space New space

14. Student workspaces are set up behind the drawers

15. Two of the original slide
Remaining slide drawers
carrels were saved and are
have been taken off their
now set up as a place to view
frames and placed on the
slides and a spare Mac
floor.
workstation.

16. Student workspace created behind slide
drawers