Library Collections on the Move: Where is it?

This year wrapped up the current major shifting plans, first with the call numbers from G-N being shifted as a whole group, and then with the call numbers from A-F being moved as a whole. The whole row of shelves from A-F ended up a good deal more crowded, and librarians began reviewing for outdated materials. This should open up some space without needing to do more major moving. 

Remaining projects: Initial review is done on materials in the Reference collection, it just remains to be implemented. Materials will be moving from Reference to the circulating collection, or else will remain where it is or be removed. Further expansion of the Cyril George Indigenous Knowledge Collection into a full Center is still pending a funding source, but once the Reference relocation is done there will be very minimal impact to the rest of the library collections to make that happen. 

Our apologies that this listing has not been kept up-to-date throughout the year - a great deal of work was completed on projects that were listed in the planning stages before. Here are the details.

Language and Literature (Call numbers P). The move was completed in Fall 2017 for this whole call number range to be located on the main floor, between the two banks of student use computers. Materials in this section are frequently sought out by users and browsed, and its location on the main floor has been beneficial. Materials in this section also tend to have more enduring ongoing value, so these materials are in a good spot and will stay there for a while!

Cyril George Alaska Native Knowledge Center. The addition of this special collection is the reason all of these moves finally got started (though many were needed). Through the fall, shelving was constructed, and then materials were pulled. Through the spring, materials were sorted into one of the 6 sub-collections. The sub-collections are listed in the electronic catalog, on the spine label, and have a corresponding colored tape with a Tlingit design.

The collection is currently shelved in a U shape. The inner sides include the sub-collections for Alaska Native Arts, Alaska Native Language, and Alaska Native Society. There are also the two material-based sub-collections, the Media and Oversize materials. On the outer shelves of the U sits the Global Indigenous Knowledge collection, with materials with more of a focus on other Native Americans, as well as more general language materials, and the literature. All of the indigenous literature can be found in the Global collection, including by Alaskans, so that they can all be located together for a broader collection representing indigenous voices.

At this time, additional shelving is required before we can more broadly expand the Global Indigenous Knowledge collection to include materials focusing on indigenous peoples outside of North America.

If you find a book elsewhere in the collection that you believe belongs in the Cyril George Collection, please let us know. Also, if you have any books to recommend that are not yet in the Collection, we are happy to take recommendations - you can use the Purchase Request Form or speak to a librarian. We will also happily accept donated materials.

Art books (Call number N). The space we ended up setting up for the Art books is located on the ground floor, back by the stairs. The shelves in this section are set to be taller, so that many of the larger books can be shelved together. Still, the majority of the largest books in the library are located in the Art collection. The Oversized art books are located in their own call number order, running along the bottom row of the Art books. 

Oversized materials. After setting up the Oversized materials in the Art collection to be located along with the rest of the materials in the call number range, this left just a small amount of other Oversized books. We followed the same strategy, and Oversized materials can now be found shelved on the bottom shelf, at the beginning of the call number range for each letter (i.e. Oversized A is on the bottom shelf at the start of call number A, Oversized P is below the start of call number P, etc.). 

Politics, Law, Education, and Music books (Call numbers J, K, L, and M). The gap left by the move of the language and literature materials - which replaced where the Bound Periodicals had been - was first filled in with the Art books in call number N. From there, we have been shifting the collection towards N to fill in the gap. As of the end of Summer 2017, shifting is finishing up on the J call numbers, and has moved on toward H. This has relieved a lot of crowding that happened between previous stages of the reorganization, as well as over 25 years of library acquisitions. Space has opened up for future acquisitions so that reorganization on this scale will hopefully not be needed again for many years. 

Throughout the fall, this shifting will continue on through call number G to finish up the right and center rows of shelving. From there, we will shift the left row of shelving with call numbers A through F - at which point, nearly every book in the library will have been moved at least a little!

Over the summer we are shifting our bound periodicals and periodicals on microfilm to new locations. Please ask for help if you are having any trouble locating a periodical.  We are here to help.

Bound Periodicals. Many of our bound periodicals have been moved to the library's storage location.  This location is on-site in the library and items in storage can be retrieved for patrons in a matter of minutes.  Catalog records for these titles are being updated to show the new location. Update: catalog records have not yet been updated as of Summer 2017. Please ask at the Reference desk if you are looking for a specific Bound title, or see the list of all titles in Storage here: https://uas.alaska.edu/library/docs/redbook.pdf.

Additional periodical titles have been moved to a *very high* shelf on the main level.  We are sorry for this inconvenience! These titles are designated to be moved to the Lower Level stacks just as soon as space is freed up by other moves.  The new Bound Periodicals section will be in the back of the Lower Level, in the area currently occupied by Oversized materials. In the meantime, moving these bound volumes to the high shelf enables us to move circulating collections up from the Lower Level. 

Lastly, some of our bound periodicals have been weeded from the collection.  The majority of these titles were found to be available online.  Links to the online versions can be found in our Journal Search tool.

When looking for a periodical, Journal Search is always a great place to start; it covers all our electronic online periodicals and journals, as well as those in the physical library. Update: The periodicals physically in the library are located right next to the Reference desk, as well as the newspapers and our collection of circulating Featured Magazines.

Microfiche and Microfilm.  Reducing and relocating these collections is the most critical task for making our library ready for the new Cyril George Alaska Native Knowledge Center.  We will be relocating our collection of ERIC microfiche to Storage.  ERIC documents on microfiche will be available to users upon request.  We will be reviewing our microfilm collection and retaining those titles that support UAS curricula or are otherwise critical to the UAS mission. Those titles will stay on the main level. The microfiche/microfilm reader/printer will also remain on the main level. Update: The Microfiche is now located in Storage, and the remaining microfilm is on the main floor, facing rooms 210 and 211. 

DVD collection.  The DVD collection will be consolidated on the Main Level, on the left side of the Reference Desk.  We are in the process of adding security tags to the DVDs so we will need to keep fewer in security cases.  Without the bulky security cases, the DVD collection will take up less space with the same amount of titles. Update: The DVD collection is on the main floor, right by the Reference desk. 

Children's Alaskana and Juvenile Books. We have finished moving these materials to the Lower Level.  You can find them right at the bottom of the stairs.  We were also able to secure grant funding to add some educational toys and board books for young children to the area. We love to see these items in the hands of our young visitors!

This month we're measuring our collections, examining our floor plans and beginning the first of our moves:

Children's Books. Our Juvenile book collection on the Mezzanine is being moved to the Lower Level. We're creating a new space for children and children's books downstairs.  We hope parents and kids who are visiting the library, particularly those attending events in the auditorium space, will make use of the collection in the new location.  We are also moving our Children's Alaskana collection out from behind the Circulation Desk where it will be open for browsing for the first time ever!  We thank UAS Professor of Education Katy Spangler for donating this gem collection which supports ALST/ED 603 "Alaska Literature for Young People" as well as other courses. Children's Alaskana will be moving to a new home on the Lower Level. You can also browse this collection online.

Current Periodicals. In order to clear way for Cyril George Center, our current magazines and journals will be moving over to the stacks to the left of the Reference Desk. 

Catalog Station and Color Printing Station.  To accommodate our new Children's Books section, we're moving the color printer and Whale Print station to the Main Level. One study table is moving from the Lower Level to the center of the Main Level.  The Catalog-only computer station will be removed.  You can search the catalog from any of our computers, or on your device any time from catalog website. Update: The color printer never successfully came back online. Color printing can now be done from the Ink printing kiosk.

Bear Skeleton.  The bear skeleton is moving to a new den.  You will soon find it on the Lower Level in our study space in the stacks, near the "H" call numbers.  Fun fact: The skin of the same bear is on display at Juneau Douglas High School. 

Lower Level Crowding. There will be some short-term overcrowding on bookshelves downstairs, especially in the "L" section for Education. We will be using top and bottom shelves which we usually try to avoid.  This crowding will be alleviated later on when we pull books off this level for inclusion in the Cyril George Center for Alaska Native Knowledge.