Silence. Shelves of books. Stern librarians shushing patrons. There are many stereotypes about libraries. Yet those who spend their days in the stacks know the library environment is evolving rapidly. One big change? How the library stack integrates with the larger building design to create learning spaces and communal areas.
The sturdy wood or steel bookshelves still exist, of course. Yet, as designers and architects work to make libraries more welcoming to the people they serve, the library stack is being transformed too.
First, the library is storing more than books. Plus, a collection’s many volumes are found on shelves in the library but also offsite – in remote warehouses when space is at a premium. Especially as books are now stored alongside so many other types of media (including videos, DVD, art, music scores, deeds, public records, periodicals and more).
This requires more flexible storage capability. However, ask just about any librarian, and they’ll tell you space is tight. So, manufacturers have designed solutions to consolidate shelving in a smaller footprint. More libraries are selecting high-density storage systems.
Traditional four-post shelving, case-type, or cantilever library stack shelving can all be placed on racks mounted on tracks to compact the footprint required. Customizations include dividers, drawers, bins, trays, lateral files and more to accommodate virtually anything the library wants to stow or display.
Making the Most of a Mobile Library Stack
High-density mobile storage comes in several styles to fit various library’s different spaces and needs:
- Electric — Electrical powered shelving opens to users at the press of a button or touch of an LCD touchscreen. Improve productivity and streamline workflow configuring your system to automatically reset to remain open for your most heavily used aisle and your most frequently needed materials.
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Mechanical — Giving users a helping hand when moving the carriages, mechanical-assist mobile shelving requires little exertion to open the aisles. Ergonomic rotating three-spoke handles are designed for comfort and ease of operation. Users can move 4,000-10,000 pounds of weight with just one pound of effort.
- Manual — Free up space for more productive use with manual glide carriages holding up to 1,000 pounds set up so users can move them manually with a handle. Easy-to-reach, waist-high locks also provide basic security and limit unauthorized user access to one or more aisles.
- High-bay — Leveraging vertical space, high-bay shelving is often used for off-site library storage. For instance, Atlanta’s Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology worked together to increase capacity by sharing an off-campus library storage facility with high-bay mobile shelving. The so-called Library Service Center enabled both institutions to “re-purpose their existing library space while saving money on real estate. It allows them to make the libraries what they need to be today, not what they were 40 years ago.”
Mobile storage comes with controls to ensure patron and employee safety (while keeping the collection secure). Standard features include anti-tip protection (which provides stability in case of seismic activity), and, if mechanical or electric, safety locks and carriage safety sweep/brake to help prevent aisle movement when in use.
Libraries can further customize the library stack selection by choosing from a wide range of materials, end panel options and colors. Durable paint finishes only adds to the heavy-duty durability of the library stack.
Letting the Library Stack Support Increased Use
The library is no longer a place where people go only to get books. More patrons come for story time or community meetings, to use the computers and apply for jobs, to work remotely or to meet and collaborate on projects. With the needs of today’s library patron changing, the space must also evolve. The high-density library stack helps.
Libraries today need more meeting space and more connections for electronic devices. In many ways they’re becoming the new student union.
With mobile storage reducing the collection storage space by 50 percent, libraries can reclaim space for other patron uses. At Embry-Riddle University, Patterson Pope installed a solution to compact the library stack footprint. Melanie West (Associate Director for Access Services) said, “And through doing that, we were able to maximize the rest of the space for collaborative learning, student meetings and those more interactive services of a library.”
The State of Florida’s Bureau of Archaeological Research (BAR) Collections installed 36 collapsible aisles of 10-foot tall high-density manual storage to accommodate more than one million items. Better still, the more than 2,160 square-foot system affords the BAR room to grow too. “I love being able to assist researchers and getting these items out in front of the public,” said BAR Senior Archaeologist Marie Prentice. “The new compact shelving literally gives us more room to do what we love.”
Looking Beyond Conventional Shelving
The library may be changing, but one thing generally remains constant. Libraries struggle with budget constraints. Fortunately high-density library stack options can meet different space goals within various budget requirements.
Benefit from the versatility of mobile storage while creating more space for new library needs. Patterson Pope’s storage experts are here to help design and install the best library rolling stack shelving for your needs.
