We’re a small, liberal arts college with FTE of just under 3,000, mostly undergraduates. We’ve used compact shelving in the lower level of our main library building, as well as in our Special Collections and Archives location in a separate building, since at least 2006. While I understand the concern, I don’t think it should be given significant weight, personally. Like other institutions, we do try to keep certain collections out of compact shelving (e.g. we have a Shakespeare Collection in this category, another example is oversize), but by and large, we use compact shelving in the same way as open shelving, and we have not experienced or observed that this presents a barrier to students. That is, unless the mechanics of the powered compact shelving fail, which they do at times. That’s another story.
FWIW.
Steve
Steve Oberg
Assistant Professor and Group Leader for Resource Description and Digital Initiatives
Buswell Library, Wheaton College (IL)
+1 (630) 752-5852
Schedule an appointment<http://calendly.com/steveoberg>
From: <colldv-request_at_lists.ala.org> on behalf of "Benedetti, Susannah" <benedettis_at_uncw.edu>
Reply-To: "Benedetti, Susannah" <benedettis_at_uncw.edu>
Date: Thursday, January 31, 2019 at 9:00 AM
To: "colldv_at_lists.ala.org" <colldv_at_lists.ala.org>
Subject: [ALCTS-colldv] Impact of compact shelving
Hi all,
UNC Wilmington is in the pre-planning phase of a library renovation and expansion. One of the options on the table is putting the circulating general collection into compact shelving. Most faculty that we surveyed seem fine with the idea (even in the humanities).
We’re wondering how undergraduate students would be impacted since they can be intimidated or hesitant finding a book even in the open stacks. Is compact shelving a barrier to known item searching and/or serendipitous browsing, or is it “just one more thing to learn” about using the library?
We would welcome any observations.
Thanks,
Susannah
_______________________________________________________________
Susannah Benedetti
Associate Director, Library Technical Services and Collection Management
William M. Randall Library<library.uncw.edu>
University of North Carolina Wilmington | Wilmington, NC 28403-5616
Phone 910-962-4243 | Fax 910-962-3078
benedettis_at_uncw.edu<mailto:benedettis_at_uncw.edu>
Received on Thu Jan 31 2019 - 11:13:05 EST