Memorandum
The Office Of The University Librarian

TO:

Deans
Chairs, Faculty Departments
Faculty Library Representatives
Liaison Librarians

FROM: Murray C. Shepherd

SUBJECT: Update on Periodical collections space

DATE: June 7, 1995

The periodical collections in the Davis Centre and Dana Porter Libraries occupy more than 95% of the available shelf space, well beyond normal working capacity. Each week we shift parts of the collections to make room for additional bound volumes and new titles. Shifting is confusing for our users and also consumes staff time that would be used better in serving them elsewhere.

The report of the Task Group on Library Collections Space, chaired by Ron Lambert, recommended cooperative storage as the best solution to the shortage of space for library collections. The Government of Ontario has recently provided some funding for a storage facility to be shared by the Universities of Guelph and Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. The search for a suitable building is now in progress.

Another option is the installation of moveable compact shelving in the lower level of the Davis Library. The expense would be considerable, and since the cooperative storage facility is the preferred alternative, further consideration of compact shelving will have to be deferred until later.

A Library Task Force to Develop a Transfer and Withdrawal Schedule and Procedures has examined the options for relieving the overcrowding in the periodicals stacks. Members of the Task Group are: Sharon Lamont, Chair, Johanna Cooper, Wish Leonard, Stuart MacKinnon, Bev Radke, Eva Rehorek, Gail Sperling, and Debbie Tytko. Based on their recommendations, the following measures will be taken:

Davis Centre Library

• approximately 20,000 volumes will be removed from the periodical collection to provide space for the collection to grow for about five years.
• these carefully selected volumes will be transferred to storage after consultation with faculty and communication with the University community.
• consultation will include liaison librarians asking their corresponding faculty library representatives in Applied Health Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics and Science to review lists of titles that are candidates for removal to storage. To make the lists more readily accessible, they will be distributed in printed format and will be available in electronic format on request.
• lists of titles that are approved for transfer to storage will be finalized by mid-July of 1995, the material itself to be moved as space is most urgently needed.

Dana Porter Library

• additional shelving will be installed to house approximately 10,000 volumes. This will allow the collection to grow for about five years.
• eighteen titles that would be more appropriately housed in the Davis Centre Library will be transferred as requested by the Departments of Health Studies and Kinesiology.
• the periodical collection will be shifted in August of 1995 to equalize growth space.

For additional details contact your faculty library representative, liaison librarian or David Emery, Associate Librarian - Collections.

Electronic versions of the report of the Library Task Force to Develop a Transfer and Withdrawal Schedule and Procedures are available on the Web at the following URL: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/News/UWLibDocs/transfer.html

Paper copies of this report and the 1992 Report of the Task Group on Library Collections Space are available from Library Office, ext. 2282.

cc:

• J. Downey, President
• J. Kalbfleisch, V-P Academic & Provost
• R. Banks, Assoc. Provost, Academic Affairs
• Library Department Heads and Supervisors

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