1. Embracing the Future While Preserving the Past:
Libraries Find Common Ground at the Joint Library Facility
Joanne V. Romano, MLS, and Terrie Smalls-Hall, Resource Mgmt. Associate, The Texas Medical Center Library, Houston TX
Wyoma vanDuinkerken, MLS, MA, Joint Library Facility, Bryan TX
Background:
In February 2014, the TMC Library Resource Mgmt. team received a mandate to remove 183,782 print journals and shelving from their 2nd floor area by December 31, 2014.
The Challenge:
The time frame given was too short for methodical assessment and relocation.
Intense pressure to get the job completed on time resulted in high stress for staff and greater margins of error in cataloging workflows.
Methods:
Movers pulled and stacked ALL print journals in the library’s basement areas
JLF staff identified over 60,000 items for deposit to the facility, and claimed over 76,000 as Resource In Common (RIC)
Computers installed in basement areas to complete cataloging procedures with items in close proximity
Recycling company hired to pickup and pulp RIC items; this process was discontinued by recycling firm do to large volume of materials.
Results:
From Mar. 11, to Sept. 26, 2016
64,414items at the JLF
118,545 claimed as RIC
Conclusions:
An excellent solution to print deselection, when other libraries are also repurposing their space and discarding their own print
JLF Interlibrary loan requests usually
met within 24 hours
Low patron dissatisfaction with our
print journal removal
Joint Library Facility
Opened May of 2013 on RELLIS Campus
Jointly funded Texas A&M University –College Station and University of Texas –Austin
All Texas A&M University System and University of Texas System Libraries can put items into JLF
Holds one million items—NO DUPLICATES
Items are stored on 20 feet high shelving units that are 36 inches deep and 53 inches wide and are shelved by size
15,000 square feet: 3,000 square feet processing –and-- 12,000 square feet shelving area
Direct Interlibrary Loan, No Cost to Academic/Medical Libraries in Texas and the
South Central Academic Medical Libraries Consortium (SCAMeL)
Currently has over 750,000 items on its shelves
Resource In Common
RIC model allows all participating system libraries, who already owned an item that is placed into
the facility by another participating library, to share that item and withdraw their local copy.
Libraries retained ownership of the item and when another library claimed the piece as a RIC
ownership is now shared between the two libraries.
The libraries retaining ownership keep the item visible to their patrons in their public online
catalog but change the physical location of the item from their stacks to the JLF
Each participating institution is also responsible for updating their SERHOLD and OCLC
holdings to reflect that their items are now at JLF.
Recent Developments
Facility opened to all Texas General Academic/ Medical Academic Libraries on September 1st, 2016
Second module has been approved and funded for construction in the fall Will hold 1 million volumes
Funding source for third module is being approached---Will hold 1 million volumes
Collection Development: MEDPRINT---Elsevier, Wiley, Springer, Ovid, Sage, JSTOR
Next TMC Library
Deselection Project:
TMCL Monographs
Joint Library Facility Shelving Area
Total Items Claimed as Resource in Common: