1. Chieng, Tracey
2. Weare, W. H., Jr.,
Moffett, P., & Cooper, J. P. (2016). Preparing for renovation: Estimating
shelf occupancy to inform decision making regarding the redevelopment of
library space. Collection Management, 41(3), 168-181.
3.
Summary: The University Library at Indiana-Purdue University Indianapolis prepared for renovation by having the Access Serices Team estimate shelf occupancy. Renovation of library spaces have been motivated by three main factors: the shift from print to digital access, needs and expectations of the library of students have changed, and shortage of campus space means more campus units are now housed in the libraries. As a result of that, spaces that hold titles that are rarely used or materials that are available online can be better used. The Access Services Team used a systematic random sampling method to estimate current free space on shelves and how much space would become available after weeding materials. They found that over 30% of current shelf space si empty and over 25% is occupied by journals that are available electronically. The authors posit that this general estimate can apply across many university libraries.
4.
Evaluation: The article begins with the authors saying they believe these estimations found can be applied across many university libraries. While their findings are interesting, I do not think the numbers can be used for other libraries. They used a rather simple sampling method and collections can differ quite a bit across different universities. However, I do believe it is useful to estimate how much free space there is in the stacks in preparation for repurposing a space.
From the evaluation: "I do not think the numbers can be used for other libraries." I think the author of the evaluation has misunderstood the article. It is the method of measurement that has application to other libraries, not the specific findings.
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