Storage Standards

Storage occurs when particular items impact an area, infringe on growth space, and dictate shelving needs.

• Purpose: To maintain adequate shelving space allowing for continued growth of new material to the collection, and aiding in the orderly maintenance of the stacks.
• Goal: The key to good storage lies in the ability to choreograph the movement of material through the prescribed NRLF accession guidelines in a timely manner.
  • Two weeks is the recommended standard for this time frame.
• Shelving feet or volume quantity is determined for each unit when submitting the annual NRLF Deposit Request Form. The standard for filling out this form is located in the BPM, Section A, "Storing Material at NRLF."

The procedural nature of storage requires adherence to standards which do not vary.

• Minimal required tasks:
  • Identification of materials for storage.
    • each unit has a different criteria for storage selection and proceeds autonomously.
  • Verification of non-duplication.
    • NRLF regards UC as an institution and prohibits the storage of duplicates from institutions.
  • Verification of barcodes, or level of gladis record.
    • items must have a catalogued (full or brief) or converted record in Gladis. All material should have Circ barcodes or a printout of the Gladis record.
  • Verification of the physical condition of item.
    • NRLF rejects any material in need of conservation repair.

• Manner of performance: Support staff trained in various online systems.
  Core competencies:
  • NRLF database searching, and record identification and interpretation.
  • MELVYL searching, and record identification and interpretation (a more detailed database then the NRLF Location Index).
  • GLADIS searching and maintenance. Includes the ability to identify and edit problem records, and add storage notations.
  • Knowledge of Windows environment with the ability to navigate several open applications simultaneously ie Gladis, Melvyl and the Location Index.
  • Knowledge of storage procedures. See the BPM.
  • Base knowledge of conservation pre-requisites.
  • Knowledge of arranging storage shipment date (includes the ability to estimate storage timeline, procure empty trucks and packing support if needed from the storage coordinator).
  • Knowledge of sizing and packing. (see below)
    The standard for loading book trucks is:
    • Size B: Up to 10 1/4" high, and up to 9 1/2" wide. Two rows per shelf (six rows per three shelf book truck; volumes upright; spines facing out.
    • Size C: Between 10 1/4" and 13 1/4" high, and up to 9 1/2" wide. One row per shelf (three rows per three shelf book truck; on top shelf, volumes on fore edge with tops facing in one direction; on lower shelves spines facing in one direction (larger volumes on fore edge with tops in one direction.
    • Size D: Betweeen 13 1/4" and 16 1/4" high, and up to 18" wide. Some items which fall in B or C may fall into this category because of their width. Same loading as C size.
    • Between 16 1/4" and 39" high, and up to 36" wide. These items are stacked flat (top shelf not more than 6" high.
    Student staff familiar with the pre-requisites should be able to size and pack 10 trucks in 2 hours.

• Hardware available through the campus coordinator are belts, plastic wrap and wooden blocks.

• Timeliness: To avoid the end of the fiscal year rush, units should schedule storage shipments throughout the year and meet their pickup dates.

• Quality: The ability to minimize rejected material from NRLF following the deposit procedures.

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Last updated 08/04/05 Contact