Persuading Administrators to Better Serve Students Can Help Preserve

Persuading Administrators to Better Serve Students Can Help Preserve Old Books: A Case for Remote Storage Bill Myers University of Kansas Libraries LAMA-MAES 2005

What do we need to know?

Who can tell us?

How can we get the information?

What will it enable us to do?

Objective: Construct a high density storage facility for low-use library materials

Elements of the Case: Threats Six libraries at or near shelving capacity Concurrent reduction of user space Diminishing gate count Backlogs of unprocessed materials

Elements of the Case: Opportunities Tuition enhancement monies Provost’s commitment Chancellor’s readiness Space transformation underway Completion of reconfiguration survey Completion of space assessment studies

Provost’s suggestions: Explain why needed and why deaccessioning not acceptable Compare size/rank with other ARL libraries Address budget Emphasize student space/use potential

Audience: Chancellor’s Cabinet University administrators with responsibility for: Budget Academics Students Faculty Facilities Research External Affairs

Chancellor’s Priorities Student-centered Top university 25 public research university

Data sources LibQUAL Survey, Spring 2003 Watson Library Reconfiguration Survey, Fall 2002 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) Building Specifications, Costs, and Financing KU Libraries Facilities Master Plan 2001

Data sources cont. Kansas Board of Regents Library Space Planning Guidelines Cost Study Peer Institutions (6) Big Twelve Institutions Association of American Universities Comparison Group (14) Photographs

Preparing the Case Review and evaluate existing data Gather additional data Draft presentation Preview presentation with selected audiences

Previews Libraries Dean’s Council Provost and Vice Provost for Information Services University Architect and Vice Provost for Panning and Facilities Management Chancellor’s spouse

Feedback More numbers More specs on building

University of Kansas Library Services Library Spaces September 22, 2003

What Users Want One-stop shopping 24/7 access Self-reliance Technology Amenities Quiet zones Social interaction Blurring of home and office environments Scholars’ workstations

Our Challenge Provide KU students, faculty, and staff with a robust mix of physical and virtual library resources and spaces that enhance and stimulate research, scholarship, and student learning.

Changing Library Services The Card Catalog was the starting point . .

Cornell’s Periodicals Room was hardly used by 2001. Transformed into a wired café, the space is now one of the campus’s most popular study and meeting places.

University of Iowa Libraries Food for Thought Browsers Coffee Shop at the University of Waterloo, Ontario Canada Free Speech Movement Café, Donated by Library Vendor

UNC’s House Library’s Student Lounge, Prior to Renovation

Group Study Rooms Support Collaborative Learning Arizona State University

A locked carrel at Ohio State in 1951 Cornell 2002

UNC’S Information Commons

Restore Grand Reading Room Columbia University University of Washington

Our Challenge Provide appropriate storage for all library materials while enabling faculty, staff, and students to readily access any item.

Collection Growth In addition to the growing number of electronic resources that the KU Libraries collect, nearly 80,000 print volumes are added each year. The rate of acquisition of print volumes is not declining. The Library Annex, added in 2003, has a capacity of 80,000 volumes.

Shelving Capacity & Stack Management Best practices recommend that cost-effective stack management occurs at 85% of shelf capacity (with 15% representing the allowable margin for circulation of materials). In 2000, the Libraries were already operating at 87% of shelf capacity. In 2004, the Libraries are projected to reach 100% of shelf capacity.

Seating Capacity for Library Users Best practices recommend seating for 25% of the resident student population. In 2000, KU Libraries provided seating for 13% of the resident student population (just over 3,000 seats).

Library Space “To make the best use of prime real estate, libraries are adopting new approaches to managing large print collections by using storage centers with delivery services for less frequently used materials and engaging in cooperative approaches to long-term preservation copy retention.” -ARL Bimonthly Report, December 2002

High-density Storage Duke University Lesser-used materials Shared storage Preservation tool Security asset Industrial document delivery

Yale Indiana Southeast Ohio

University of Missouri Libraries Depository

High Density Storage Depositories California Minnesota Carolina Penn State Missouri Florida Michigan South Texas Virginia Tech Indiana

Relative Costs of Storage/Preservation: Microfilming - 50 to 150 per volume Photocopying - 50 to 150 per volume Digitization - 50 to 80 per volume Storage - 5 to 10 per volume - ARL 2003

Circulation of Library Materials 2002 Materials published 1983 or earlier: 26.9% Materials published 1973 or earlier: 14.1%

Retrievals from Library Annex Storage space leased May 2003 70,000 volumes in off-site storage 50 items retrieved during first 8 weeks

ARL Rank: Volumes in Library 1. 2. 3. 6. 8. 13. 15. Harvard 14.9 million Yale 10.9 million Illinois 9.9 million Texas 8.2 million Michigan 7.6 million Indiana 6.5 million Wisconsin 6.2 million

ARL Rank continued 17.Minnesota 6.1 million 19. Ohio State 5.6 million 27. Michigan State 4.5 million 29. Oklahoma 4.3 million 30. Iowa 4.3 million 35. Kansas 3.9 million 53. Missouri 3.1 million

Next Steps Transform library facilities to support student and faculty collaborative learning. Revitalize Watson Library as a campus intellectual center.

Watson Commons

Watson Commons

Next Steps Cont. Reconfigure Watson, Anschutz, and Spahr libraries to function as models for the integration of virtual and physical collections, technology resources, and academic support in a manner that meets the research and scholarship needs of the KU community. Relieve overcrowded shelves and provide at least ten years’ growth space for new materials to be added to all of the library collections in our various spaces.

Anschutz Commons

Anschutz Commons

Spahr stacks

Spahr Engineering Library

Next Steps Cont. Provide less expensive remote storage and service options for some of the less frequently used materials currently housed in our libraries.

Library Annex

Annex Interior

Library Space Transformation Financial Resources Anticipated annual allocations: from library operating budget 100,000 - 200,000 from charitable gifts via KU Endowment 50,000 - 100,000

BARD Costs 5.6 million for land and construction in 2005 dollars Annual operating costs derived from reallocations

BARD Financing 20 years term for bonds Debt service approximately 467,000/year Cost to service facility approximately 33,000/year

BARD Specs 2.5 acre site 7,500 sq. ft. shelving space 1.6 million volume capacity

KU Libraries Vision Ready access to information resources Personal research assistance and service Space for library instruction Space for individual study Space for group collaboration Space for socialization and refreshment

Why was the case successful?

Right amount Right purpose Right time

Bill Myers Director of Library Development University of Kansas 1425 Jayhawk Blvd. Lawrence, KS 66045-7544 785.864.8921 [email protected] www.lib.ku.edu

Thanks to: Stella Bentley, Dean of Libraries University of Kansas Sarah Thomas, University Librarian Cornell University