Does your library need to re-balance its print collections?
Do you need a small repository to increase the library’s seating count?
How can libraries increase space utilization and improve service? In our early days, Aaron Cohen Associates programmed library buildings to hold a lot of books. To meet ACRL storage standards, a library consultant was normally hired to determine the number of linear feet of shelving required for the library. Simply put, we helped determine the amount of books a new or existing library building could hold.
At that time, improving service meant increasing circulation. But in the 2000s a paradigm shift occurred: the Internet, smart phones and cafes emerged. As a result, the libraries’ service declined: the amount of active space was restricted, and passive print shelving and circulation flat-lined. In the modern library, shelving is giving way to an increase in space: for collaboration, for study, for programs.
But what to do with the books patrons still need? Automated print storage could be the answer: units can be built for small and large budgets, either horizontal or vertical. Solutions can be designed to take advantage of the cubic feet available. Storage is also essential for Fighting Format Rot, according to David Pogue. With the right system, libraries can save old formats, scan them and store them before they are discarded and lost.
The trend toward active learning should extend to the collections: libraries have added writing centers, learning centers and math centers, and more open space. However, collections remain passive: housed on open shelving, taking up valuable learning spaces.
Below is an example of a product that can be used for vertical storage. This is just an example to help you to start to learn how you can save space and add more seats to your library. Contact us to determine your library’s options.
