Bobst Library is but one of many large research libraries that houses portions of its collections Off-Site. In this day and age, space is a huge issue for the future of libraries that wish to expand or even just to remain viable. This is especially true of cities like New York where real estate is gold.
As you all know, the 4th and 5th floors of Bobst are due to be renovated next year. In order to prepare for this, we will need to shift at least 400,000 items out of the building between 1 April 2009 and 1 April 2010. This is far more than our usual output.
Some of this will be accomplished by deaccessioning duplicate materials and a few bound journals, but most of these 400k books will be sent Off-Site.
Here is the current snapshot:
We're getting closer - nearly 80% of our goal completed before the Winter Break!
This has been a huge juggling act for everyone, with every department that you can think of getting involved.
Most of what goes Off-Site is deemed 'Low Use', but as Off-Site holdings have increased over the past year, there has also been a 50% increase in patron requests for Off-Site material.
This could be because Bobcat has become more transparent and user-friendly, or it could be because word has spread that our turnaround time is lightening-fast. It could also be the start of a change in user culture: a new acceptance of the fact that Off-Site Storage is here to stay.
As more of our older material goes upstate to the warehouse, and a not-insignificant number of new acquisitions go directly Off-Site from the Cataloging Department without ever seeing shelving in Bobst at all, we will eventually reach a tipping point where we have more books Off-Site than we have here.
What will Bobst Library look like then?
Is a library with most of its books Off-Site still a library as we know it?
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