The University of Kansas Libraries

The Library Annex: Selection Guidelines

Overview of Annex Selection

Contents

• Background
• Project Goals and Scope
• Project Planning
• Selection Strategies
  • Faculty review of material for Library Annex
  • Projected volumes to be moved (Requires Login)
  • Subject selectors who chose the materials (Subject Specialists)

Background

With over 4 million volumes already in our collections, and more than 50,000 new volumes added every year, library materials require new shelf space at the rate of 1.6 miles per year. Most of the Libraries’ facilities – especially Watson, Anschutz, Spencer Research Library, and Murphy Art & Architecture – are filled beyond the capacity recommended by professional standards for optimum browsing, re-shelving, and preservation. Planning for an offsite storage facility – formerly called the BARD, now called the Library Annex – started in 1993. Construction was approved by the Chancellor in 2003 and was completed in April 2006. It will have a capacity of 1.6 million volumes.

Project Goals and Scope

1. Create enough space to accommodate existing collections and continuing growth.
   • Watson currently holds an estimated 2 million volumes. Library profession standards call for shelves to be no more than 75-80% full.
   • To reach this goal we will need to move ca. 300,000 volumes out of Watson to the Annex or to Anschutz.
2. Reclassify into LC any Dewey-classed volumes selected to remain in open shelving.
3. Complete conversion of paper catalog records to the online catalog, and catalog the uncataloged East Asian materials.
4. Improve environmental conditions for older materials, especially those in Watson.
5. Plan and execute a shift of collections that remain in Watson Library into freed-up space.

Project Planning

• Planning for an offsite storage facility – formerly called the BARD, now called the Library Annex – started in 1993.
• Watson Reconfiguration Task Force Report (2002)
• Construction was approved by the Chancellor in 2003
• Review (physical and online) of Dewey material by library staff and faculty starts fall 2005
• Watson Space Management (2005)
• Official Annex opening in April 2006.
• We expect to process 1,000 volumes into the Library Annex on a daily basis.

Selection Strategies

The KU selection guidelines and procedures were developed based on standard library practices, guidelines developed at other libraries and circumstances unique to KU.  Library faculty first review material that will remain in the browsable collections and once that is done, faculty is invited to review the collections, either in person or online, to do the same.