FILLING THE ALF


Answers to your Questions
about the
Ruth Lilly Auxiliary Library Facility

 

Why are you moving books from the Wells Library research collections?
 
You’ve noticed how books crowd the stacks and fill overflow book carts in the aisles. 
Too many books in too small a space makes it difficult to locate them, jeopardizes their condition, and takes up space originally intended for students and faculty.

The Herman B Wells Library reached its capacity for books in 1989.  Designed to hold 1.5 million volumes, it now contains more than double that—and the collection grows by about 100,000 volumes a year.



Why are you moving books from my area of interest?

Overcrowding is a problem throughout all the Bloomington libraries, and we’re selecting books from all areas. We began transferring books in late 2002, and to this point have focused our efforts on the campus libraries.

This fall our emphasis will shift to the Wells Library.



How fast can I get a book or journal from the ALF?

Usually within 24 hours and often the same day. Materials requested prior to 12:00 p.m. (noon), Monday through Friday, will be available from your selected Bloomington library delivery destination by 5:00 p.m. the same evening. Materials requested after 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, will be available from your selected Bloomington library delivery destinaiton by 5:00 p.m. the following business day.



Can I just go to the ALF myself and get the item?

Materials are shelved according to size, not call number, and are boxed on shelves more than 30 feet tall.  Employees must retrieve the books and will deliver them to the library you request.  In the past year, we’ve expanded the number of delivery locations for items requested from the ALF from 3 to 21.



How do you decide which materials are moved? 

The Bloomington Faculty Council Library Committee has discussed and endorsed general selection guidelines for materials to be shelved at the ALF, and collection managers have communicated with many faculty members about ALF selection criteria.

The following items will be transferred:
• all pre-1821 monographs
• most monographs published before 1995 that have circulated 3 or fewer times
• journals published before 1995 that are available online (e.g. JSTOR titles)
• journals published before 1995 that are indexed, and so retrievable through online indexes (This last decision will allow us to leave unindexed titles in the stacks so that they can be browsed.)

We track ALF use, and if an item has been requested repeatedly, we’ll return it to the stacks.



Why an off-site facility? 

An off-site shelving facility makes good economic sense.  Faced with space shortages and no funds for new buildings, other major research institutions have done the same.  (Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Duke, Harvard, Yale, and Cornell, to name a few.) 

The Ruth Lilly Auxiliary Library Facility also has optimal environmental conditions  (it’s kept at a constant 50 degrees and 30 percent relative humidity) and therefore also helps preserve the materials shelved there.  Keeping materials in the ALF extends their lifespans.



What can I expect in the future?

Managing millions of books is a complex and long-term undertaking. As we continue to add new materials to our collections, we must necessarily continue to transfer materials from the Bloomington campus libraries.

As these transfers occur, we will shift materials in the Wells Library and campus libraries to free up appropriate space. During these transitional shifts, shelves will not always be as neat and tidy as we would like. We are confident, however, that materials will be easier to find, better preserved, and readily accessible. 

We are also planning to introduce weekend delivery in the coming months.


For more information, contact your collection manager or:

Cecile Jagodzinski, Ph.D.
Director of Collection Development and Digital Scholarship
Indiana University Libraries
Herman B Wells Library 3651
cjagodzi@indiana.edu
856-2313