Graduate Theological Union
Flora Lamson Hewlett Library Alteration 1
In 2021, The Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA undertook an ambitious project to transform their collections to serve more hybrid and online degree programs.
The GTU’s Flora Lamson Hewlett Library is a premier interreligious theological library in the western United States serving a consortium of educational institutions. The Library adopted a strategy of altering the physical footprint of the collections, while investing heavily in large scale digitization, shared print programs and digital acquisitions agents to support the curriculum.
Temporary storage in the Bay Area
In a 10-month effort, Library Evolution helped the GTU transform their Flora Lamson Hewlett Library to a hybrid print and digital library, reducing the physical collections from three floors to one and engaging with regional shared print programs, digitization agents and book remainderers.
The project involved coordination and sequencing of collection decisions and large scale collection relocations amidst construction.
Rare books room
Compact shelving on main floor, fully resequenced
The GTU was interested in a full service engagement over a ten (10) month period. The GTU’s goals were to ensure:
a smooth relocation and return of rare materials from temporary storage
long-term storage of some collections at a consortial partner's storage facility
removals to a digitization agent
removals for discard or resale
disassembly of steel shelving and removals
shifting all remaining materials into compact and stationary shelving on the main library floor
Project Planning and Analyses
Services included project management, vendor evaluation and selection, collections analyses from multiple analytic tools, dispositioning all holdings, generating picklists, hiring and training surge staff, moving rare books and general collections to different types of storage, engaging with and making contributions to shared print partners, digitization agents and book remainderers, collection resequencing and on-site implementation oversight.
Initially, we performed a collections analysis and recommended scenarios to the Graduate Theological Union's executive committee. The analysis took into consideration many facets of the collections requiring significant collection development expertise. Criteria applied included overlap, format availability, copyright, access and locations.
One, of several scenarios, was selected for implementation.
Orchestrating change commenced...
Items are dispositioned for digitization…
for long term storage…
Dispositioning and removals
Remaining collections after dispositioning and removals. Ready for resequencing and shifting.
for resale…
or for shared print archives held elsewhere.
Assignable space plans and shelving plans are drawn and frequently changed as collections are shifted
The library shift begins. Remaining collections are reconstituted and completely resequenced in fixed and compact shelving.
Space and collections re-modeling
This is the stage where art and science meet - library science, that is.
Using initial architectural drawings of assignable space and collections analysis lists, Library Evolution applies statistical analyses and spatial mapping techniques specific to library collections to map out where the remaining collections will go.
We develop and review spatial plans with library administrative staff and adjust for collections flow and discovery.
We work on-site with surge staff to ensure a smooth collections shift. “Measure twice and cut once” becomes the team motto.
Armed with the re-shelving design and with quite a bit of know-how about the variability of publication sizes, shelving and rack sizes, we have a good sense of what can go wrong and may not fit the best-laid plans or scientific methods.
We monitor shift progress closely and guide surge support staff to make adjustments quickly as issues arise.
GTU’s shift ensured appropriate fill rates on each shelf and a full collection shift within one rack (7 shelves) of plan.
Books loaded onto New Haven carts
Resequenced and reshelved in compact shelving
Steel shelving removed