Maine Perspective Front Page
Fogler Facing Tough Decisions Because of Lack of Space
Fogler Library is facing two space problems in the bound journal area. Solutions to these problems will probably require that public access be restricted to most of the bound journals, according to Sam Garwood, assistant University librarian.
The bound journal shelving (part of level 1 and all of levels 1B, 2 and 2B in the core stacks) is now 96 percent full, which is well beyond working capacity. Although there are scattered empty shelves, range after range has every shelf full. The library now has more than 100 newly bound journal volumes that cannot be shelved because there are no nearby spaces on the shelves where they belong, and there is not the staff to shift dozens or hundreds of existing volumes to shelve one new volume where it belongs.
In addition, because of changes in the building, and in fire and accessibility requirements over the years, the library must close levels 1B and 2B to public access. This could happen as early as January or as late as next summer. These two levels hold approximately 60 percent of all bound journal volumes. When these areas are closed, library staff will have to page (retrieve) all volumes on demand. This means less convenience for library users and a need to increase staffing levels.
According to Fogler officials, the long-term solution is to build a library addition. Initial planning efforts are under way, but it appears that completion of a library addition is at least five-seven years away. The library is requesting that Carnegie Hall be renovated after the Art Department and Museum of Art one day move to a new facility; Fogler would use the space for Special Collections, including the Cohen Collection.
This would provide about five years' growth space for bound journals in Fogler, plus about 4,000 square feet of user space. It would also free space in the library annex equivalent to another 2.5 years' growth for bound journals. However, the very earliest this space might be available, if it is assigned to the library at all, is probably two years from now. This is not in time to take care of the immediate problems.
Other options under consideration:
- Seek funds to put compact shelving in the library annex, effectively doubling its capacity and allowing the movement of a larger portion of the library's collections out of Fogler (perhaps all of Special Collections). Cost: probably more than $500,000, perhaps approaching $1 million. This solution could possibly be implemented in summer 2000 if the money is available.
- Find additional off-site storage space for lesser-used government documents, monographs and bound journals. This has the additional disadvantage of splitting the collection three ways instead of the present two, with resulting delays and increased paging costs.
- Find some other location within Fogler to shelve at least 14,000 volumes to provide two years' breathing room. This would require approximately 1,150 square feet, which would mean reducing user spaces by about 50. It would continue a trend which has gone on for several years (this past summer alone, the library reduced seating by about 60 in order to make room for new shelving in the monograph area, which is equally congested.) Fogler Library is now far below recommended levels for user seating and is reluctant to take away even more. Even after all the renovations are done and seating is restored to the current periodicals room, there will be about 10 percent less seating than was available only a few years ago.
- Move approximately 14,000 volumes of bound journals to the library annex, in order to make room for the next two years' worth of newly bound journals. (This move would fill most of the remaining empty shelves in the annex; it is now more than 85 percent full.) If this is done according to publication date, which is the simplest to explain and easiest to remember for library users, all pre-1956 journal volumes would go. In general these older volumes are less used, but there would be a significant increase in paging activity for library staff as these volumes are needed. Library management is leaning toward this temporary solution, with probable implementation in January.
- Reorganize the journal volumes that remain in the core stacks, so that the most used volumes would be on levels 1 and 2, and the lesser used volumes on levels 1B and 2B, which will be inaccessible as noted above. The aim of this shift is to minimize user frustration and staff time for retrieval of volumes from closed areas. (This is expect to be done in the summer.)
Fogler Library administrators are seeking suggestions or comments members of the University community may have on these problems and the proposed courses of action.
"We recognize that there is no ideal solution short of increasing the building size, and none of the above alternatives are desirable," says Elaine Albright, dean of Cultural Affairs and Libraries. "What we need is help in selecting the least problematic approach."