Help, the Computer Says It's on the Shelf?! : Stacks Maintenance

Abstract

This panel will discuss our various methods of stacks maintenance. The Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library collection has over one and a half million volumes, which grows weekly. The importance of keeping the stacks orderly so that patrons are easily able to access materials is paramount. We utilize permanent and student staff in order to achieve this. The process of maintenance is multi-level. The Stacks Office is the first place books arrive before going back on the shelves. The daily activity of discharging, shelving and shelf-reading to better assure patrons are able to find materials, combined with ranging and shifting areas to combat crowding of an ever growing collection, is a continuous process. Attendees will come away with strategies to better handle crowding and patron assistance within a large collection.