As we all continue to respond to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bartle Library 3rd Floor Renovation Project is proceeding as planned. As announced in February, the 3rd floor collection will be relocated to the Science Library. The preparation work for the 3rd floor collection relocation will begin this summer. NOTE: The project timeline may change due to COVID-19.
The current schedule is to install compact shelving this fall on the ground floor of the Science Library to accommodate the collection. In determining our shelving capacity for both the 3rd floor and existing science collections on the ground floor, we will need to move approximately 70,000 items from Bartle Library and 10,000 additional items plus the bound journals from the Science Library. The plan is to start in June and continue through the summer.
In selecting the volumes to move offsite, we will prioritize items that are electronically available, duplicative, rarely used, and outdated. We will begin by moving journals that have been replaced with electronic subscription and digital archives. For instance, the Libraries purchased the complete SAGE journal backfiles providing full-text digital access to all Sage titles; as a result, we are moving all Sage print journals offsite. In selecting books to move offsite, we will start with duplicates (keeping one copy of the same edition onsite), outdated reference materials, old textbooks, and items that are low-use (for instance, items that have not circulated since 1993 will be considered). We will give consideration to the needs of each discipline in the selection of materials to relocate. These criteria will meet our offsite relocation goal so that a collection of high interest and use will remain on campus.
Following the renovation, approximately 240,000 volumes will return to the 3rd floor of Bartle Library from the Science Library. The current plan is for the remainder of the collection to stay in the Science Library with the science collection. Materials moved offsite will remain offsite, but we will have a process for moving individual items back to campus if needed.
The project will significantly impact the Science Library and its collections. Ground floor materials will be relocated to the first and second floors. Bound journals will be relocated to the Annex, but readily available through our document delivery service if not available online. We have selected a ground floor compact shelving plan that preserves as much quiet study as possible, maintains group study spaces, and provides a space for outreach activities. We will strive to maintain the quiet and accessible environment our community is accustomed to experiencing. There will be exciting opportunities in the future to transform parts of the upper floors with new study and outreach spaces.
At the conclusion of the renovation, the Libraries will have more shelving space on campus than we did at the outset of the project. This, along with the planned creation of our new Collection Management Facility, will ensure we have space for the long-term growth of our physical collections while also creating space on the 3rd floor of Bartle and the 1st and second floors of the Science Library for us to continue expanding the services we offer the campus.
The University Libraries support our faculty, staff and students’ teaching, scholarship and research by building rich and diverse collections of print and online resources. Our goal is to continue offering the same high level of support during and after the renovation.
A complete overview of the upcoming project can be found on our renovation webpage.
If you have any questions about the renovation and its impact on the Bartle and Science Libraries, contact Jill Dixon, Associate University Librarian for Public Services and Collections, at jdixon@binghamton.edu.
We also welcome your input on our Library Renovation Feedback form.