Rethinking Special Collections Moves As Opportunities, Not Obstacles

Colleen Hoelscher and Sarah Burke Cahalan Rethinking Special Collections Moves as Opportunities, not Obstacles In the summer of 2017, the Marian Library—a special library devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary within the larger University of Dayton Libraries system— completed a move of its rare book and archival collections into a new space within the main library building. The space, previously leased to the Society of Mary provincial archives, was already outfitted with a Liebert system for temperature and humidity controls, as well as shelving and some furniture. Prior to the move, the rare book collection and archival holdings were stored in less than ideal conditions. In 2014, a consultant from Lyrasis conducted a preservation assessment that confirmed much of what we already knew: the space had wildly fluctuating temperature and humidity levels, which were causing damage to the collections. Most of the shelves were filled to capacity, an issue that challenged our ability to expand our holdings. Finally, the physical layout of the stacks room, with multiple entry points from the public areas of the library, made it difficult to secure the materials effectively. The Marian Library has approximately 12,000 rare books and 1,300 linear feet of manuscript collections. The rare book collection includes medieval manuscripts and incunabula, as well as theological and devotional material from around the world; one area of strength, for example, is early Mexican imprints on the topic of the Virgin Mary. The archival collections include personal papers; institutional records; collections of postcards, holy cards, and photographs; and realia such as rosaries, scapulars, and medals. The relatively small size of the collection made it possible to undertake the move with library personnel, something that would not be an option for a larger collection (for comparison, consider recent collection moves at the Bancroft Library and the Beinecke Library).1 1. For further insight into the Beinecke Library collection move, see Rebecca Hatcher and Natalia Sciarini, “To Close, or Not to Close: That Is the Question” (presentation, IFLA World Library and Infor- mation Congress, Wrocław, Poland, August 19–25, 2017), available at http://library.ifla.org/1673/1/170- hatcher-en.pdf [accessed 23 August 2017]. © 2017 by Colleen Hoelscher and Sarah Burke Cahalan (CC BY-NC [https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/4.0/]). 123 124 RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage The planning process for the move took several months, starting in spring 2016. The move itself was delayed by some of the surprises of the process—it took significantly longer than anticipated for some work to be completed by the facilities department and their external contractors—but the time of the delay was filled with work on an inventory and preparatory work in the new space. The rare book move was completed in spring 2017, with the archives move completed in summer 2017. All of this work was completed in addition to the regular duties of library personnel; it was typically done in short shifts of several hours at a time. The opportunity to move our most precarious materials into a better-controlled space was welcome. It also came at an advantageous time; in addition to the afore- mentioned preservation assessment, library staff had recently completed revisions to the library’s disaster plan and collection development policy that helped frame decision-making throughout the move process. Having recently worked on these documents put library personnel in a frame of mind to consider collection care as part of the workflow for a collection move. Knowing just how overdue the collection was for improved conditions prompted prioritization of processes (such as an inventory and a basic conservation assessment) that elongated the timeline but also made the move more successful. Moving special collections is a challenge under any circumstances, and our move was not without difficulty. However, we found that a large-scale collections move was more than just a series of obstacles to overcome; it was an opportunity for the library to improve physical space, stakeholder relationships, library practices, and the condition of the collections. Literature Review Surprisingly, very little has been written about moving special collections, particularly collections composed of both archival materials and rare books. Steven Carl Fortriede’s 2010 monograph Moving Your Library, published by ALA, serves as a general reference work for library moves, with a focus on moving entire building contents.2 For those moving a general library collection, this would serve as a won- derful how-to manual, but it has almost no discussion of rare books or archives. Other works, such as Joanna M. Burkhardt’s article “Do’s and Don’ts for Moving a Small Academic Library” and Jennifer S. Murray’s “How to Survive a Library Move Instead of It Controlling You,” present case studies from general library moves.3 2. Steven Carl Fortriede, Moving Your Library: Getting the Collection from Here to There (Chicago: Ameri- can Library Association, 2010). 3. Joanna M. Burkhardt, “Do’s and Don’ts for Moving a Small Academic Library: Fourteen Helpful Tips,” College & Research Library News 59, no. 7 (1998): 499–503; Jennifer S. Murray, “How to Survive a Library Move: Control the Move Instead of It Controlling You,” AALL Spectrum 10, no. 1 (2005): 18–19, 33. Fall 2017 | Volume 18, Number 2 Rethinking Special Collections Moves as Opportunities, not Obstacles 125 More has been written within the archival literature, although here, again, the literature tends to be based on case studies. Notable in this group is John Newman and Walter Jones’s Moving Archives: The Experiences of Eleven Archivists, a collection of case studies from a variety of different kinds of repositories.4 Though written more than twenty-five years ago, Mary Frances Morrow’s article “Moving an Archives” includes timeless advice concerning timetables and the inevitability of delays.5 The articles by Pam Hackbart-Dean et al. and Ted Ling discuss the practical details of moving archival collections, particularly when working with an outside moving company.6 More recently, a session at the 2017 IFLA World Library and Informa- tion Congress featured speakers from five different libraries, highlighting the value of incorporating preservation planning into a special collections move.7 One particularly helpful resource in our preparation was a March 2016 webinar presented by Frances Harrell on “Moving and Renovating: Collection Concerns.”8 This webinar, sponsored by the Northeast Document Conservation Center, fo- cused on the nitty-gritty aspects of handling and securing rare books and manuscripts when moving to a new location. Further resources included a network of colleagues who had executed special collection moves in the past. Consulting with peers who had experiences with moves similar in scale helped inform our supplies list and anticipated timeline. Throughout the literature on library collection moves, there are recurring themes of challenges, unexpected obstacles, and time delays. However, a collections move also provides an opportunity to reflect and act on the collection as a whole. Some of the specific actions we incorporated into the Marian Library move may be scal- able for larger or smaller collections, while others are applicable only to our unique situation; but whatever the needs of a particular library or archive, all collection moves are a chance to step back and think broadly about the collection. A collection move—whether relocating a few shelves of books or an entire library—is an opportunity to address issues beyond the physical location of library materials. 4. John Newman and Walter Jones, Moving Archives: The Experiences of Eleven Archivists (Landham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2002). 5. Mary Frances Morrow, “Moving an Archives,” American Archivist 53, no. 3 (1990): 420–31. 6. Pam Hackbart-Dean, Leah Agne, and Julie Mosbo, “History on the Move: Relocating Special Col- lections and Archives,” Provenance 28 (2010): 31–57; Ted Ling, “Shifting the Sands of Time: Moving an Archive,” Journal of the Society of Archivists 21, no. 2 (2000): 169–81. 7. “Session 170: Libraries: A Call to Action/Best Practices in Moving Collections from the View of Preservation and Conservation” (presentation, IFLA World Library and Information Congress, Wrocław, Poland, August 22, 2017) , available online at http://library.ifla.org/view/conferenc- es/2017/2017-08-22/795.html [accessed 23 August 2017]. 8. Frances Harrell, Moving and Renovating: Collection Concerns (webinar, March 22, 2016). This live webinar is periodically offered by the Northeast Document Conservation Center, most recently in March 2017. A full training schedule can be accessed at https://www.nedcc.org/preservation-training/ training-currentlist [accessed 23 August 2017]. Fall 2017 | Volume 18, Number 2 126 RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage Opportunity #1: Improve the Physical Space One of the important mantras we returned to over the course of this project is “it’s better than it was before.” This sentiment captures both the improved conditions for the collections and our resignation to the reality that “better” is a far cry from “perfect.” Unless a space is being built from scratch to your specifications, any collection move will include a series of attempts to fit round pegs into square holes. A new space planned around a collection would be designed with appropriate security settings, environmental controls that meet professional standards, and, most important, adequate space for the entire collection and future growth. In our case, we were delighted to have additional space, some of which had environmental controls that are not present elsewhere in the building. However, the area with these controls was not large enough for all of our special collections materials. We had to choose among the materials, prioritizing materials for better conditions and enhanced security based on potential for theft and inherent vice of a given medium.

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