The library has several plans to shift and/or deaccession materials from now through 2023. The principal impetus for these plans is an impending expansion of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) in the summer of 2023, which will result in a reduction in stack space for 16,000 volumes (representing a total of approximately 1,200 square feet) and thus a requirement to shift the Shain collection to accommodate these materials. In addition, the plans seek to provide space for potential future projects and/or growth in collections.
Information Services staff have been in discussion with the Information Services Committee for nearly a year. Following approval at the committee's meeting on April 29, 2021, staff have begun the process to complete the various projects as listed below. To view information about a collection that is to be shifted and/or partially deaccessioned — including the criteria used to generate deaccessioning candidates — please click on a tab below. Please note that in most cases, faculty will receive a spreadsheet of titles in fall 2021 for their review before items are deaccessioned.
In several instances, the library is utilizing its membership in the Eastern Academic Scholars Trust (EAST), a shared print retention project that ensures continued access to materials through collective data analysis, and the HathiTrust, an extensive repository of digitized print materials, to generate possible deaccessioning candidates.
Print reference collections will be partially deaccessioned and shifted. Librarians have selected duplicated (in print or online) and/or outdated materials to be potentially deaccessioned. In fall 2021, faculty will receive a spreadsheet of deaccessioning candidates to review.
Greer monographs were not included in the deaccessioning project of 2013-14. These monographs will therefore be partially deaccessioned and potentially moved to Shain in 2022, making way for possible repurposing of some of the Greer Music Library space. Please note that this project does not include music scores or sound recordings. To create deaccessioning candidates, the library will apply criteria that include the number of circulations, the age of the materials, and whether the title is included in EAST or HathiTrust. In fall 2021, faculty will receive a spreadsheet of deaccessioning candidates to review.
Print government documents collections will be partially deaccessioned to create space in the lower-level compact shelving stacks, so that other physical materials can be shifted to these stacks, thereby making room for future storage needs. It is hoped that we could reclaim at least 1,200 square feet of space through these measures. Librarians have created a list of collections to be potentially deaccessioned; the principal criterion for these inclusion in these lists is digital duplication, as most usage of government documents is digital.
The DVD collection on the second floor of Shain will be shifted to the first floor, to make room for the ARC expansion on the second floor in 2023. Due to their technological obsolescence and physical deterioration, VHS collections have already been moved into storage and are currently available for digitization on request.
The lower level of Shain includes some 64,000 older titles that are classified using the Dewey Decimal System, rather than the Library of Congress classification system. These titles by definition have not circulated. Due to consortial commitments, Connecticut College is required to retain approximately half of these titles, leaving approximately 32,000 titles that are included in EAST or HathiTrust, and therefore can potentially be deaccessioned without a loss of access. In fall 2021, faculty will receive a spreadsheet of deaccessioning candidates to review. Through this process, the library hopes to create up to 600 square feet of space to be used for future storage or other projects.
The titles in Shain Library with the call numbers beginning with U/V/Z titles (military science, naval science and bibliography, respectively), are little used and are slated for reduction; we plan to move the remaining titles to the lower level. Librarians will create a spreadsheet of titles using criteria that include the number of circulations, the age of the materials, and whether the title is included in EAST or HathiTrust. In fall 2021, faculty will receive a spreadsheet of deaccessioning candidates to review.