The document discusses the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) library's efforts to repurpose space by weeding print collections and shifting to electronic resources. It describes projects to de-duplicate journals, cancel subscriptions during state budget cuts, and weed journals and books to increase user space by 50%. The library coordinated with faculty and staff on the projects. By removing unnecessary print materials, the library was able to redirect funds and reclaim space for student learning needs like individual and group study areas.

1. Charleston Conference 2010
Stephen Dew
Collections and Scholarly Resources Coordinator
Mike Crumpton
Assistant Dean for Administrative Services
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Taking a Step Back,
To Move Forward

2. Library Space is Limited
 No longer collection storage only!
 New models have emerged for collection
management
 More electronic resources
 Off site storage and collaborative options
 Quantitative volume counts less important
 Learning assessment based on student outcomes
 Collection space shared with “Users”
 Building additions, expansions and remodels
competing with other projects in a tough economy

3. Library as Place
 Space attributes being assessed, i.e. LibQUAL+
 Space that inspires study and learning
 Comfortable and inviting
 Quiet space for individual contemplation
 Community space for group and collaborative learning,
study and related activities
 Space that serves as a gateway and accessibility for
study, learning, research and related resources
 Third place space
 Fosters community spirit and involvement
 Encourages creative and collaborative thinking

4. Aged Space is Unappealing
Basement Stacks Government Documents

5. Creating appealing space

6. Changing User Needs
Collections Based User/Learner Focused
▫ All materials
warehoused and
available quickly
▫ Collection selected and
endorsed by faculty as
extension of classroom
resources
▫ Collection built to
support research with
primary sources
▫ Significant financial
investment made to
process, deliver and
maintain collection
▫ Dedicated space to
support learning needs
▫ Technology driven
attributes to access
needed resources
▫ Group space to meet and
work collaboratively with
classmates
▫ Individual study with
tools/conveniences to
support technology
▫ Financial resources
stretched to cover larger
breadth of
collaborative/technologic
al needs

7. The Price of Space
• Maintaining print
collections
▫ Processing
▫ Access/delivery
▫ Shelving and repair
• Storage and retrieval
costs
• New technologies
• Infrastructure needs
• Updated furnishing
“Limited funding forces
libraries to make
financial choices”

8. How Space is Used
Usable floor space Sq. Ft How space is used Sq. Ft
Tower stacks 55,980 Book Shelving 57680
Tower Lobbies 4,116 Staff/offices 16500
Main – B,1 and 2 77592 Specialty areas* 46632
Main – 3rd Floor 8772 SCUA 11000
Total usable space 146,460 Common user spaces 14648
Total 146,460
*this includes reference,
reading room, Jarrell Hall,
Gov Docs

9. What Students Want
 Small group work spaces
 Access to tutors, experts, and faculty in the learning space
 Table space for a variety of tools
 Integrated lab facilities
 IT highly integrated into all aspects of learning spaces
 Availability of labs, equipment, and access to primary resources
 Accessible facilities
 Shared screens (either projector or LCD); availability of printing
 Workgroup facilitation
Learning Spaces Educause 2006

10. Campus Priorities and Plans
Library Addition
UNCG has identified the expansion of Jackson
Library as one of its top priorities. The proposed
design:
 Expanding the tower for book stacks.
 Create a new center of academic and student
life.
 Secondary transit hub will be adjacent to
Jackson Library addition reinforcing the critical
role of the building to the life of the campus.
 Public spaces of the library should be located in
conjunction with the transit hub.

11. Proposed Library Addition
Existing Main and Tower

12. Weeding Justifications
 Volume count is a less important metric in ranking
(not part of strategic plan)
 Space for collections is becoming a lower priority
on campus
 Electronic resources are improving access to
same or similar materials
 Continuation of same strategy has a finite end so
alternatives must be considered now.

13. Slote principles
 Reasons to weed
 Increases book usage
 Increases user satisfaction
 Saves staff time
 Makes room for new
technologies
 Resistance to weeding
stems from:
 Emphasis on numbers -
“bigger is better”
 Professional work pressure
- “not enough time”
 Fear of public displeasure -
“letters to the editor”
 Sacredness of collection -
 Conflicting criteria

14. Impact of E-books and E-journals–
increased and flexible access
 Reference – moving from “building use only” to
available at home 24/7
 Technology and other subjects that date quickly
 Test manuals
 Strong user preference for e-journals over print
Space savings for all

16. Bang for the buck
Individual monograph
weeding Serials weeding
 Labor intensive for
decisions
 Labor intensive for
record modification
 Hard to gain enough
space
 Unlikely to have
electronic back up
 Book sale and recycling
 One decision can cover
multiple volumes
 One record change
covers multiple volumes
 Gains more space more
quickly
 Biggest gains from
print/electronic duplication
 Limited options for
discards

17. Low hanging fruit
 Duplicate formats and copies
 Outdated editions
 Obvious solutions to some – aren’t obvious to all
 Disciplinary differences

18. Impact and Assessing Situations
 ASERL unique monograph list
 Binding investment
 Economy on politics
 Economy on buying (growth projection)
 Remote collections
 Receiving gifts

19. Cautionary Tales
 Level of detail for weeding varies by person doing
the weeding, i.e. reference librarian looks
holistically vs. tech service personnel looking at
call numbers and item numbers
 Personal biases can play a role
 Groups need to be unified by common goal
 Communication constantly maintained to
establish procedures and resolve problems
 Entire operation needs to be transparent

20. Collaborations
 Large scale serials
weeding procedures
 Bigger is better?
 Judgment factor?

22. Space Gainers
 Special Collections and Archives
 Unique signature to institution
 Undergrads with technology
 Technical enhancements for collaborative devices is
part of learning environment
 Undergrads without technology
 Old fashion need for privacy and quiet
 All Users
 Community center focused space

23. UNCG Groups to consider
 Space Planning Committee – oversight group,
including wide representation
 Collection Management Committee – Subject
Liaisons
 Technical Services Staff
 Access Services Staff
 University Groups
 Teaching Faculty
 Students!

24. Green Weeding
 Library and campus are committed to
sustainability
 Recycling and Reusing accomplished by:
 Connections with Recycling Office
 Better World Books
AVOID THE DUMPSTER

25. UNCG Solutions
 Identified duplication
 Monographs
 Journals owned electronically and in print
 Identified low use monographs
 Weeding with specific goals
 ID target call number ranges
 Partnered with departmental liaisons
 Prioritized storage availability
 Compact shelving pros and cons

26. Journal De-Duplication Project
2007

27. Reasons to De-Duplicate Journal Subscriptions
 Annual price increases for journals have significantly exceeded
inflation Need to keep journal budget under control and not take
from other resources
 The vast majority of users want and expect electronic copies - why
pay for a duplicate print copy that nobody uses
 With e-only, there is no longer a need for processing, claiming,
binding, etc., so there will be additional monetary savings and staff
time will be freed for other tasks
 With e-only, shelving space is freed for other use

28. Other Institutions Going to
Electronic Journal Subscriptions in 2007
 University of South Carolina
 Appalachian State University
 East Carolina University
 Drexel
 UC Davis
 UNC Charlotte
 American University
 Binghamton University
 University of Maryland
 Central Michigan (moving 70% to online by 2008)
 Kansas State University
 College of Charleston

29. Logistics of the De-Duplication Project
 Coordinated by Collection Management Committee--
AD for Collections, librarians who are department
liaisons, and the heads of cataloging, acquisitions,
and access services.
 Developed a spreadsheet of 850 journals for which
the Libraries subscribed to both the print & electronic
versions and the journals offered an e-only
subscription option
 At UNCG, most journal subscriptions are assigned to
a particular academic department, and the
spreadsheet was sorted by department (3 letter code)

31. Logistics of the De-Duplication Project
 A template letter that explained why print
subscriptions should be dropped in favor of e-
only subscriptions was prepared and shared
with liaisons
 Some liaisons revised the template for their
own style, but everyone provided essentially
the same message
 During first week of March 2007, liaisons sent
letters and spreadsheets to department chairs
and representatives for their review and
comment

34. Results from De-duplication
Project
 For 813 journals, print subscriptions were
cancelled and an e-only subscriptions
maintained
Savings on subscription cost
Shelf space freed in Current Periodicals area
Shelf space freed in Stacks
No Processing Costs
No Claiming Costs
No Binding Costs
 We lose no content, remove duplication, & still
provide what our users want most: Electronic
access to the information

35. Journal Cancellation & Budget
Reduction Project
2009

36. North Carolina State Budget Crisis 2010
 Due to a significant shortfall in tax revenues, on
April 6, 2009, the state ordered all agencies to
freeze purchasing
 As of that date, the Libraries lost whatever
collection funds it had remaining for the fiscal
year and could not make anymore purchases or
pay any incoming invoices
 The Libraries had to prepare for a possible 15-to-
20 percent budget cut for fiscal 2009-10

37. Logistics of the Journal Cancellation &
Budget Reduction Project
 Coordinated by Collection Management Committee
 Developed a spreadsheet of 1,750 journals
 Libraries had a direct subscription (not a package deal)
 The current issues of the journal were available in PDF
in a protected aggregator database
 The spreadsheet was sorted by department and
reviewed by liaisons, who made recommendations on
cancelling/keeping
 Departments & faculty were notified about
recommendations

38. Protected Aggregator Databases

44. Results from the Journal Cancellation and
Budget Reduction Project
 700 journal subscriptions cancelled
 $175,000 reduced from the serials budget of
$1.52 million
 We lose no content, remove duplication, & still
provide what our users want most: Electronic
access to the information (do lose ownership)

45. Weeding & Space Repurposing
Project
2008 to Date

46. Space Based on Print Collections
 All materials warehoused in building (shelves/cabinets)
 Significant financial investment made to process, deliver,
& maintain collection
 Library prestige & ranking dependent upon physical size,
total volumes, etc.
 Print collection takes more & more space, taking away
from student study, collaborative space, and other uses

47. Print Replaced by Electronic
 Frees space to support a more conducive learning
environment--more individual study space, more group
study space, more computers, etc.
 Frees financial resources for other needs
 Library prestige more dependent on electronic resources
provided and the building’s learning environment

48. Coordination of the
Weeding & Space Re-Purposing Project
 Space Planning Committee (July 2008) --the
oversight group responsible for planning
renovation of space, setting priorities, and
scheduling when certain call-number ranges
of the collection would be reviewed for
weeding
 Collection Management Committee –
responsible for reviewing the journals, making
recommendations, communicating with
departments and faculty, and coordinating the
actual weeding and transfer

57. We Are Not a Museum
 We cannot afford to become a museum for
printed journals that are available electronically.
 We cannot afford to become a museum for old
books that are duplicates, out-of-date, or out-of-
scope.
 Our current patrons do not use them
 We can expect the same behavior from our future
patrons.

58. Weeding Totals for Journals
 7,000 linear feet of
bound journals weeded
from Jackson Library
 1,500 linear feet of
bound journals weeded
from Storage
 1,000 linear feet of
bound journals removed
from Jackson to
Storage

59. Weeding Totals for Books &
Microforms
 700 linear feet of books weeded from Jackson
Library
 2,500 linear feet of books weeded from Storage
(review still in progress)
 50 linear feet of microforms weeded from Jackson
 25 microform cabinets removed from Jackson to
Storage

60. Goal = 50% increase in User
Space
Proposed use of space Sq. Ft
Book Shelving 43680 All materials in tower
Staff/offices 16500
Specialty areas* 37860
SCUA 18000 Acquire 3rd floor main
Common user spaces 30420 User service pts in basement including
Gov docs and larger CITI lab
Total 146,460
*this includes reference, reading room,
Jarrell Hall,

61. Selected Sources
Dubicki, Eleonora. “Weeding : Facing the Fears.” Collection Building 27, no. 4
(2008): 132-135.
Lugg, Rick and Ruth Fischer. “Future Tense – The Disapproval Plan: Rules-Based
Weeding & Storage Decisions.” Against the Grain 20, no. 6 (2008-2009): 74-78.
Metz, Paul and Caryl Gray. “Public Relations and Library Weeding.” The Journal of
Academic Librarianship 31, no. 3 (2005): 273-279.
Oblinger, Diana G, ed. Learning Spaces. Educause, 2006.
http://www.educause.edu/LearningSpaces
Penniman, Sarah and Lisa McColl. “Green Weeding: Promoting Ecofriendly
Options for Library Discards.” Library Journal 133, no. 15 (2008): 32-33.
Schonfeld, Roger C. and Housewright, Ross. “What to Withdraw? Print Collection
Management in the Wake of the Digital Age, ITHAKA S+R, September 2009
Slote, Stanley. Weeding Library Collections, 4th ed. Englewood: Libraries Unlimited,
1999.
Wakaruk, Amanda. “Dissecting the Disconnect : Thinking about Public Space in
Academic Libraries.” College and Research Libraries News 70, no. 1 (2009) 16-
18.