College and Research Libraries Storage Records and Servicing By F R E D L. D I M O C K OU R E X P E R I E N C E with storing books from the stacks of the general li- brary at the University of Michigan goes back only to 1949. Prior to that time, our stacks had been overcrowded for years. Books were being shelved on the aisle floors and on wooden book-cases on the walls of the stacks. A second shelving arrangement existed on metal cases around the perimeter of some of the stack floors. Conditions for library users and library staff were indeed difficult. Similar conditions existed in most of the branch libraries housed in other buildings. Space for storage outside of the general library building became a reality in 1949 when the third floor of the stacks in the new business administration library was turned over to us. T h i s floor accommo- dated forty thousand volumes. It was de- cided to select only sets of serials that had ceased publication and that as far as we knew were little used. T h i s was advantageous as it was possible to make maximum use of the space available be- cause it was not necessary to leave room for expansion. Since this was our first experience at selecting material for storage, and even though we were fairly sure that the sets selected were not heavily used, it might happen that some of these items would have to be brought back because of un- anticipated usage. It was at this time that our policy of not changing locations on the catalog cards was made. T h e initial expense of changing these records would have been great, and the possibility of having to relocate some books and once more change the records was a strong factor in setting the policy. T h e r e were also some special files which would re- quire changing, such as the book-plate file, etc. Thus, the decision was made to keep a record of the stored volumes Mr. Dimock is Head of the Circulation Department, University of Michigan Library. This paper was presented at the meeting of the ACRL University Libraries Section, Mon- treal, June 19, 1960. only in the circulation department charge-out file. T h i s was a simple and inexpensive means of control, costing only a few cents apiece for charging cards for the circulation charging file. T h e stor- age charge was made on a regular 3 x 5 charging card and interfiled in the cir- culation department file, which is a un- ion file of all charges for stack books re- moved from their locations for circula- tion, binding, use in carrells, etc. T h e r e were many things in favor of not changing catalog records at this time, other than the fact that our method was a simple and inexpensive means of con- trol. T h e circulation desk was on the sec- ond floor close to the public catalog and centered between the only entrance and exit to the stacks. T h e stacks were open only to graduate students and faculty. All "not-on-shelf" reports for undergraduate students were automatically checked against the circulation file. Graduate stu- dents and faculty were accustomed to checking at this file for information on books they could not locate. Since the forty thousand volumes were represented by only fifteen hundred reference cards in the circulation file, there was no over- crowding. For the convenience of stack users manila envelopes were placed on the shelves stating that the set was in storage. No more storage areas were provided until 1951, when we moved the entire T classification of twenty-five thousand vol- umes housed in the general library to the basement of the school of education building. T h e storing of this entire classi- 438 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S fication was not a hardship to library patrons since the engineering libraries with their extensive technical collections were centrally located on the main cam- pus. Our policy of not changing the loca- tion on the catalog cards for books sent to storage was continued. Since all the gen- eral library T classification was in- volved, the only control record needed in our circulation charge-out file was a sin- gle charging card. T o assist stack users the change was recorded also on all stack directions. T h i s collection was later moved and integrated with those of the engineering libraries when the latter moved to quarters in the new under- graduate library building. T h e simplicity and minimum of record keeping for block storage cannot be better illustrated. When this entire T collection of twenty- five thousand volumes was relocated in the engineering library only one card record, the one in the charging desk file, needed to be changed. T h e only other change was to alter the stack directory. T h e engineering library, however, has no catalog of this collection and Mr. Harrell, the engineering librarian, considers this a handicap in the servicing of this ma- terial. In spite of the removal of the books to the two buildings mentioned it was not long before conditions in the stacks of the general library became as difficult as ever. Additional space could be provided on the central campus by adding to our present building or by providing another building. Because of the already over- crowded central campus, the university administration decided to erect a build- ing especially designed for storage on the North Campus. In preparation for the move to the new storage building, a committee of library staff members was formed to make recommendations concerning library stor- age records. T h e committee considered the experience that the catalog depart- ment had in 1953 when it transferred approximately three thousand volumes from the science library to the social science library. T h e report to the com- mittee was that the time required to change the stamping on the catalog rec- ords was the equivalent of a full-time position for three months. Based on this previous experience, the catalog depart- ment estimated it would take five full- time employees five years to complete the changing of records for transferring 300,000 volumes to the annex. T h e com- mittee felt that this was too expensive and too slow and that a continuation of our system of simply putting cards in our main circulation file seemed the wise course to follow for many reasons. Bas- ically, this system had a high degree of flexibility. If it were discovered that some of the stored items had heavier usage than anticipated, the items could easily be sent back with little expense to the library. However, if the catalog card had been changed in the public catalog, the official catalog, and the shelf list, a costly record-changing operation would follow when it was found necessary to return items to the stacks of the general library. Also, the committee felt that the system would have the advantage of permitting rapid preparation of records. T h e com- mittee's proposals were accepted and meant that the catalog department would not have to do anything with the chang- ing of records at least for the time being and the work of record preparations would proceed under the direction of the circulation department. Because of the considerable increase in the number of volumes and titles, our problem of preparing for the move and of record keeping was more complex. Fortunately, we had recently purchased a Photoclerk machine which proved to be of great assistance in the preparation of records. For adequate control it was decided to photograph three copies of the shelf list card for each title selected: one copy to be filed in the circulation charge- out file, the second for a shelf list record N O V E M B E R 1 9 6 1 439 at the North Campus, and the third as an insurance record. T h e shelf list record and the insurance record are now filed in regular catalog drawers at the annex. Our charging records are filed, however, verti- cally, or the long way, which meant adapting the photographic record to the circulation department file. T h e essential information concerning annex location and call number were written on the re- verse side of the photographic record, and it was filed vertically in our charge-out file. On arrival at the new storage building, all materials were first inventoried, sized, then coded according to floor and drawer location, and finally shelved. T h e coding was marked on shelf list photographic records and on special labels which were then placed on the spine of each volume. As a result of the inventory, all short- ages and missing items were recorded on the reverse side of the annex shelf list photographic records. As yet we have not been able to record this information on the insurance records; and until we have a final decision, based on a pilot project, from the catalog department on the changing of the location on catalog rec- ords, the charge in the circulation de- partment file will not be annotated with the inventory results. Divisional libraries with space prob- lems also sent books to be stored. T h e records for materials sent to the annex from the divisional libraries were made and handled in the same manner. T h e only exception, of course, was that the photographic charges for the divisional library material were filed in the circula- tion file of the particular library involved and not in the circulation department file. In February 1955 we began to move into the new building. T h e building was designed to hold approximately 400,000 volumes when completely equipped, and is situated on its site in such a way that another wing can be added when it be- comes necessary. T o date, only the first t w o f l o o r s h a v e b e e n c o m p l e t e l y equipped. T h e total capacity for these two floors was estimated to be 200,000 volumes. However, by using every bit of space, we estimate we have 220,000 vol- umes shelved on these two floors. On the third floor still another 20,000 vol- umes are shelved temporarily on conven- tional shelving. T h e building is equipped with Ames Stor-mor drawers, conven- tional shelving around the walls, and some special folio shelves. T h e first ma- terial to be transferred to this building was the original storage material housed in the business administration library. T h i s was followed by additional mate- rials which our selection department had decided could be stored. Margaret Ayrault, head of the cat- alog department, has felt for some time that we are doing a disservice to our cata- log users by not designating the location of storage books on the catalog cards. Agnes Tysse, head reference librarian, is in complete accord with Miss Ayrault. Most recently the catalog department has begun a pilot project of changing the catalog records in the public catalog, the official catalog, and the shelf list for some selected storage materials. It was decided that nothing but monographic items would be handled. T h e results of this pilot project will give us an estimate of present cost in terms of time and money and should be of great assistance in helping us to arrive at a final policy. While we have adequate information control for the circulation staff on ma- terials stored, the users of the public catalog do not immediately get this in- formation. T h e y go from the public cata- log to the stacks. If what they want is not there, they may go down to the first floor to have the call number checked in the charge-out file, at which point they dis- cover that what is wanted is in storage. W e should soon arrive at a decision on the final policy for record keeping as the university library has just been allocated sufficient money to equip the third and 440 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S fourth floors of the storage building. T h i s means that we will have room for another 220,000 volumes. T h e r e are several courses of action concerning records that could be followed. W e have discussed and discarded the idea of a separate shelf list at the public catalog only for storage ma- terials for two reasons: one, it forces the public to look in two places for every title, and, two, it would be expensive to set up and to maintain especially if many corrections of call numbers, entries, etc., were necessary. W e can add the location information to the catalog cards or we can continue to add charging cards for storage items to the circulation charging file. T h e present proportion of 75 per cent serials to 25 per cent monographs will probably be reversed; and because of the tremendous increase in the number of monographs to be stored, it may well be that it will be highly desirable to change the location information on the catalog records. Certainly a lot of time would be saved for those going to the stacks after using the public catalog. An- other possible reason for changing the catalog record is that our charge-out file is now in the first floor corridor. I should also like to point out that the photographic record we are using is not a permanent record due to the fact that it does not meet archival standards. As an experiment we have tried laminating both sides of some photographic slips and this will undoubtedly prolong the useful- ness of the photographic record. If it is decided to add the storage information to the catalog cards, this will eventually reduce the size of the cir- culation department charge-out file. W e have approximately 175,000 cards in the charge-out file at this time. Of this amount, we estimate that there are thirty-five thousand cards for general li- brary storage materials. T h u s thirty-five thousand charges represent the 220,000 volumes from the general library. If it is decided to continue our present policy, the charging file will have to be enlarged as there is room for only a few thousand more cards. T h i s will be especially true if, as expected, the proportion of 25 per cent monographs to 75 per cent serials is re- versed because this would mean a great increase in the number of charges to be filed. My supervisory staff has considered the problems of a file almost twice as large as our present one and does not think it impractical or unworkable. Of course, if the selection department is able to select large areas of block storage, fewer charging cards would be needed as only one charging card is necessary for block storage. S E R V I C I N G Request for general library materials stored at the North Campus annex are serviced daily. All requests received be- fore 1:00 P.M. are filled and sent to the circulation department and are ready for use by 4:30 P.M. the same day. Requests received after 1:00 P.M. are not serviced until the next day. T h e requests are tele- phoned to the annex, where the clerical assistant on duty checks the call num- bers against the annex shelf list for the shelving code. If for any reason the ma- terials requested are not available, the circulation department is notified imme- diately by phone to this effect. T h e North Campus is about two and one-half miles distant from the central campus, but the university provides a scheduled trucking service between the two places and li- brary materials are delivered by this means. Heavy fiberboard tote boxes hav- ing a capacity of about thirty average- sized volumes are used to contain the items being sent. All the divisional libraries having ma- terials stored at the annex follow the same procedures just mentioned for serv- icing their books. One significant differ- ence is that their materials are delivered to the general library where they are then put into tote boxes to be delivered the following morning to the particular li- brary involved. T h e delay in the delivery N O V E M B E R 1 9 6 1 441 of storage materials to the divisional li- braries is due to the fact that the uni- versity library is just one unit being serv- iced by the university trucking service. Its schedules are highly complicated due to distance and number of units to be serviced. T h e one delivery a day from the North Campus to the general library comes late in the afternoon, while service from the general library to the divisionals is in the morning. Those who go to the annex are per- mitted to service their own books pro- viding they are in certain categories. For example, the perimeter shelves on the first three floors are occupied by various special collections and are kept in shelf list order. In shelving serials in the draw- ers, a policy of keeping sets together even though the size was not uniform was de- cided upon. T h i s makes it very conven- ient for the library users who wish to use many volumes of a given title. T h e assistant on duty has only to locate the drawer for the user. Servicing of sized monographs stored in the drawers is done only by the assistant on duty as there has been no attempt to maintain a shelf list arrangement. I t should be pointed out that the number of people going to the storage building to use the materials is small. Should a decision be made to add the location to the catalog cards, the records for the material already stored will be changed first. W e know from our ex- perience that it will not be necessary to return many because of heavy usage. Ac- tually, in four years only five hundred volumes have been returned; one hun- dred of these for the natural science li- brary and four hundred to the gen- eral library. T h e four hundred vol- umes returned to the general library were about 50-50 monographic and se- rial. Monographs are returned to the gen- eral library if they are used five or more times within a year. It may well be that this arbitrary figure of usage will have to be revised upward when we have many more monographic materials stored. Se- rial sets are returned only if the whole set is used heavily. W e can determine usage as all circulation records of storage items have been kept. Any requests from faculty or students for the permanent re- turn of little used materials are referred to the selection department. T h e r e has been a marked decline in the use of storage materials since the opening of the stacks of the general li- brary to all students in J u l y 1958. T h i s decline amounted to 34 per cent in 1958-59 and it appears from the statistics of circulation available so far for 1959-60 that there will be a further reduction in the use of these materials. T h e opening of the stacks made it possible for the undergraduate to choose his own books from the stack shelves, and if he did not find the one he had in mind, usually he could locate an acceptable substitute. Prior to the opening of the stacks to undergraduates all "not-on-shelf" reports were automatically checked before being given to the student and if the item were in storage the student usually wanted it brought in. Opening of the stacks to all immediately reduced the number of requests for information on "not-on-shelf" items. Names Needed T h e Committee on Appointments and Nominations is looking for names of members of A C R L to be considered for appointment to one of the twelve committees of A C R L for the 1962-63 year. If you are interested in actively participating in our organization, or if you know of a fellow librarian who is qualified, forward his or her name and yours to Dale M. Bentz, Chairman, A C R L Committee on Appointments and Nominations, and Associate Di- rector, State University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa. 442 C O L L E G E A N D R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S