Trays and Beyond: Evolving Shelving Methods to Meet the Needs of Unique Materials

Abstract

The goal of this round table discussion is to share ideas and experiences with different shelving techniques. By drawing on the experiences of people from many different institutions and storage facilities, participants can hear about practices that were put into place, and how these may have evolved to better store different materials. Questions will revolve around how needs for the majority of the collection has expanded or changed. This will include location naming conventions in item records; environmental storage (including cool or cold storage); unique materials storage containers and strategies (oversize items, archival boxes, picture hanging storage, microfilm/microfiche cabinets); and rarity or security needs of specific collection materials. In our conversation, it is my hope that we can share our various successes and why they worked, as well as problems we encountered and their solutions so that others may not make the same mistakes. This will create a welcoming space for people to reflect on their own work in off-site storage facilities and to take others’ experiences to assist as they problem solve any projects or complications in the future.