Off site storage solutions at Duke and Wake Forest

Abstract

Many academic institutions are suffering from over-crowded stacks and the flow of book and bound journal material into a library rarely is maintained at the same pace as material that flows out through withdrawal. Additionally, libraries are frequently identifying other ways that they would like to use valuable real estate that is currently housing underutilized material. Some institutions have opted to implement an off-site storage facility to hold little used, but still academically valuable materials. This panel discussion will include representatives from both , Duke University and Wake Forest University who will share their insights into how to plan for and implement an off-site storage solution for an institution that is suffering from over-crowded stacks. Duke's off-site storage solution incorporates collections from multiple institutions, holds both journals and monographs, and requires multiple levels of bibliographic and item level management, while Wake Forest's installation only includes content from one library on one campus, and initially includes only bound journals. However, the process used to implement an off-site solution is similar in each case. Off-site storage facility managers from both institutions will share the story of their own start up: the software, , hardware, shelving and resources utilized, and how ultimately, items are housed, made retrievable and accessible, and how each institution provides service from their off-site collections., , Marvin Tillman, Duke University and Mary Beth Lock, Wake Forest University,