A library of design: Electronic collections inspire modern research spaces

Pierucci, Jessica

Hampton, N. (2015). A library of design: Electronic collections inspire modern research spaces. Codex: The Journal of the Louisiana Chapter of the ACRL, 3(2), 68-79. Retrieved from http://journal.acrlla.org/index.php/codex

Summary

This article discusses the transition to focusing on curating an electronic collection at the Xavier University of Louisiana Library Resource Center. The library lost part of its collection when 18 inches of water flooded the first floor during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The library did not have money available for easy replacement of lost materials at the time so the library relied on gifted items and interlibrary loan instead. In 2013, noticing the print materials left were not well used, the library undertook a collection evaluation and determined the best and most cost efficient way forward was through collecting electronic versions of many materials, including many journals, and getting rid of print versions to open up library space for a new information commons area where shelving could be removed after weeding. Feedback showed the project transitioning to more electronic resources and using the freed up library space for an information commons was overall a success.

Evaluation

The article is a great example of what I see as a likely future of academic libraries where parts of the print collection that duplicate the online collection move to just online, freeing up the library's physical space for study space. The article specifically discusses the transition of the library's journals, which I think are a prime candidate for removal from the print collection when the material is accessible, and more easily searchable and findable, online. Where I work we've weeded to only keep the last five years of print journals where we have online access and in the future I would be unsurprised if there's a decision to cancel all of these print subscriptions where we have online access to avoid duplication and free up shelf space for other uses. I really liked seeing how well this transition worked at one school and the benefits of having a nice new collaborative space for students to use in the library. I'm curious to see more examples of this transition and how it plays out in different types of library spaces in the coming years.