Grainger removes books to make space
In an environment where libraries are used more for study time than for actual document research, Grainger Engineering Library is answering students’ needs by sending out hundreds of thousands of print materials in favor of more tables and study spaces.
October 19, 2017
Grainger Engineering Library is pushing out books in favor of more table space due to a large influx of students and the need for study space.
Approximately 30,000 print materials have been sent away from Grainger since this past summer, said Mary C. Schlembach, acting head of Grainger Engineering Library. It has been over a one-year project for the library to create more study space for students.
“Twenty years ago when Grainger opened, a lot of resources were in print,” Schlembach said. “But with the changing focus on electronic resources versus print, we can send away (print) materials.”
Grainger has sent out around 200,000 volumes over the last five years. The 30,000 items will be the last push of the project.
“The materials are not going away. They are going either to the Main Library, or to the Oak Street (Library), which is a high density facility on the west side of the campus,” Schlembach said.
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The materials sent away will still be accessible. Students and faculty members can check them out online and have them sent back to any library on campus to pick up.
“We did a report on things that haven’t been circulated for around 10 years; 2005 is the cutoff,” Schlembach said. “Books that haven’t been circulated since 2005 are canned and moved out.”
The materials being sent away also include journals that are available online. With the removal of the print materials, Grainger is currently relocating shelves to create more space.
“We are shifting the entire collection backwards,” Schlembach said. “The study tables would be moved to where the bookshelves are.”
The need for more study space is caused by the increase in students that study in Grainger, as the gate counts have doubled over the last five years, according to Joseph Hall-Ingram, library specialist of Grainger.
Amelia Peterson, graduate student in Information Science, started working at Grainger as a graduate assistant last August. She said among libraries on campus, Grainger is the most popular study place for students.
“Grainger is such a busy place. It is so filled with students that I always have something to do,” Peterson said.
It also has been a general trend on campus for libraries to shift the books to accommodate a higher student volume.
“The Main Library is doing some shifting around (to) create more study spaces, and ACES library would be relocating shelves to accommodate more student activities,” Schlembach said.
