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Coming in May: Storage Nearby for Library's Overflow
In May the Library will open a new, High-Density Storage Facility at 3001 Market Street, housing up to two million volumes to "alleviate an acute overcrowding of collections and provide much needed space on campus for current acquisitions," said Vice Provost and Director of Libraries Paul Mosher.
Volumes from the Library's existing storage collection will be the first to occupy the new facility, followed by low-use items presently on Library shelves. In selecting material for storage, librarians will weigh both circulation and in-house use, along with the needs of University academic programs.
"The Library will seek faculty input on transfer decisions, and no academic program will be disproportionately affected. As teaching and research needs change, the Library will return material to appropriate collections on campus, " according to Dennis Hyde, director for collection development and maintenance.
"Access to volumes in storage will be fast and reliable," said
Patricia Renfro, director for public services. A key step is entering all
transferred items on Franklin, the Library's online catalog. Patrons will
be able to submit storage retrieval requests electronically, initially using
e-forms found on the Library's web site and eventually through an online
request mechanism built into Franklin. Each weekday Library staff will retrieve
materials and deliver them to any patron-designated Library location. Patrons
may also request free photocopies of journal articles and short sections
of books in lieu of a full volume. The Library will mail or fax requested
copies to campus offices, or deliver them to a Library location for pickup.
For high resolution electronic delivery, the Storage Facility will use Ariel,
a system that digitally scans and transmits texts for output via laser printer.
"Although the Storage Facility is not a browsable collection, it will accommodate users doing in-depth research," Ms. Renfro said. Those who need to use long runs of serials or to consult a large number of books may use the Facility's reading room and photocopy facilities. The Storage Facility will also house the map collection currently located in Hayden Hall. Further information about the plans for storage, and storage policies is available under the What's New section on the Library web site at www.library.upenn.edu. Comments are invited on the Library web.
The Library's new High-Density Storage Facility will soon be located
in the old Bulletin building, (above) at 3001 Market Street, which is now
owned by Drexel University. The Library will be leasing 43,400 square feet
to house up to 2 million volumes in the floor-to-ceiling shelves that are
being built to accomodate volumes grouped by size.
Return to:Almanac, University of Pennsylvania, March 17, 1998, Volume 44, Number 25