Services to fit your needs
We work primarily with academic, research and corporate libraries in the Bay Area of California. Whether you are relocating a library collection in order to remodel, consolidating branch libraries, transforming your collections from print to digital, needing a collections analysis or seeking advice, we offer the following services and can customize to your needs.
In general, we work on projects with a 5 to 15 month duration. Every project is unique. We look forward to learning about your goals and creating a solution that meets your needs.
Project planning and budget development
We support large scale library collection relocations and collection consolidation projects. If your library plans to remodel or merge with another in the next 12-18 months, we can assist with planning, strategy development, assessing options, coordinating and implementing the project.
We can help guide your library leadership and operations teams through permanent or temporary collection moves, including the safe return, reorganization and reshelving of some or all materials.
Through a series of guided conversations, we gather requirements, outline project phases, create project budgets and timelines.
Collection and space modeling
Filling a gap between the field of library science and architectural design, we leverage 20+ years of experience in library collection development with space and shelving analysis techniques to model changes in library floor plans.
Combining the art and science of collection management, we work with your staff to run “what if’ scenarios and develop spatial maps for physical collections based on your classification scheme, shelving dimensions and desired fill rate/growth space.
Collections analysis and dispositioning
We engage with your collection development librarians and metadata librarians (catalogers) to export catalog metadata, analyze the collections, refine criteria, disposition the items in your collections and deliver picklists.
Each library project is different. To achieve large scale change, we can disposition collections for deduplication/branch consolidations, weeding, digitization, relocation to permanent off-site storage, relocation to temporary storage and donations to shared print archives. We can ensure that existing shared print commitments are honored.
We work with your technical service staff to define catalog metadata exports and catalog update requirements before, during and after the move.
Project management and implementation
We provide different levels of project management for removals and collection shifts depending upon your location and the management skills and bandwidth of your library team.
—> Ask about our tiers of project management services ranging from advisory to full project management.
—> Ask about options for surge staff to handle removals and collection shifts.
Removals and “offers” coordination
Typically the longest phase of a project, we can coordinate removals with your book remainder company, shared print program or digitization partner.
Some projects may involve all three entities.
Some projects may require sustained coordination for a few weeks or several months.
Collection shifts and metadata
We can provide project oversight to reconstitute your collections on your physical and digital shelves.
Typically the “shift” and metadata work represent another long phase of a project. We bring your new library space model to life by "shifting" physical collections into reconfigured shelving.
We organize surge staff to "shift" remaining collections or collections that may be returning from storage or digitization to your shelves.
We coordinate closely with your metadata librarian (cataloger) to batch update locations, enhance records with the links to newly digitized books and update shared print disclosure records.
—> Ask about our tiers of metadata and shift services ranging from advisory to full service.