- VCU Libraries had been grappling with space problems for years as their collections grew rapidly, exceeding capacity. - They undertook a massive project called "The Big Shift" to weed, withdraw, re-shelve and move over 1 million volumes to off-site storage. This created more space for student seating and study areas before a new library building. - The project involved reviewing collections, shifting books between floors, consolidating spaces, and celebrating upon completion to relieve overcrowding and better serve student needs.

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

7. Diverse
Students -
Global Living
Experience

8. Our Students Study Hard

9. They Create Great Works of Art

10. Multitasking

11. Students relaxing or having a
stimulating conversation

12. The Problem
Backgroud

13. The Problem
Overcrowded stacks
Inadequate number of seats
Insufficient infrastructure
Dissatisfied customers

14. Serious Space Problems
Part of the
problem can
be found in
Cabell’s
history

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

20. Graduate and Faculty Reading Room

21. Graduate & Faculty Reading Room

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

26. 500 Academic Center

27. Layout of the Library
First floor - Reference, Government
Documents, Current Periodicals
Second floor – Bound Journals
Third floor – A-M, Media services, Microforms,
Oversize
Fourth floor - N-Z, Art Browsery, Juvenile
Literature, Oversize

28. The Problem Continues
In 2010, the provost teamed up
with VCU Libraries to construct the
Learning Commons.

29. 2010 – Construction of the Learning Commons

30. 2010 – Construction of the Learning Commons

31. 2010 – Construction of the Learning Commons

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

33. The new Learning Commons
Collaborative
space

34. The new Learning Commons

35. Gate Count
Our Gate count skyrocketed
We got compliments

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”.

37. Problem continues
Solution was short lived

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

42. So it Begins

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

46. The Plan
Phase I

47. At least five rows of shelving removed
Level 1 Phase 1A

48. OLD Entrance

49. New Temporary Entrance

50. First floor
Newspapers and
current periodicals
give way for new
temporary entrance
study space, and
security post

51. Circulation staff preparing to move to their temporary space

52. Temporary Circulation area

53. Collections A-E moved from 3rd Floor to First Floor

54. Phase 2 Level 3 Phase 1A

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

56. 3rd floor moving books from one side to the other

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.

58. 3rd floor Media – admin offices

59. Level 4 Phase 3A

60. Fourth floor
Relocate Juvenile literature
Relocate Art Browsery
Release space for Special Collections

61. Level 4 Phase 3B
Special
Collections

62. Fourth Floor
Space relinquished with moving N to
third floor will be part of Special
Collections
Consolidate the oversize collections
into one location

63. Oversize collection took the space

64. Moving Oversized books from 3rd floor to 4th floor

65. Left side left empty for removal later for construction
wall for special collections

66. Locator

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

68. We made our director shelf the last books

69. We made our Director shelve the bottom
shelf

70. Celebration of the completion of the Big Shift

71. Celebration of the completion of the Big Shift

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

73. Conclusion
The Big Shift

74. The New Building

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.

77. The End
Thank You

78. The End
Questions