The Kohler Art Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been
using moveable compact shelving for its circulating collections for
about 25 years. We installed Spacesaver compact shelving in 1980 for
our regular-sized bound periodicals (which do circulate). That project
involved the installation of 9 moveable carriages, each 15 feet long.
In 1990, we installed Tab compact shelving for a major portion of our
regular-sized books. That project involved the installation of 61
moveable carriages, each 9 feet long. While most of most of those
books circulate, 7 of those carriages lock and house some non-
circulating materials that need to be paged.
In several weeks, we will be installing our 3rd compact shelving
project--this one for all of our circulating oversize books. We will
be using Spacesaver again. The project involves the installation of 21
moveable carriages, each 15 feet long.
All of our shelving is cantilever shelving. I investigated
Spacesaver's 4-post shelving, but decided against that product.
When this 3rd project is completed, a great majority of our collection
will be housed in moveable compact shelving. We have not had many
problems with the mechanics of either system, although our 1st project,
done in 1980, is probably in its golden years and may need to be
replaced in the forseeable future. Our patrons seem to like the
moveable shelving and have little problem operating it. For some
reason, kids really love it and school groups visiting the museum
upstairs (now the Chazen Museum of Art, formerly the Elvehjem Museum of
Art) sometimes come down just to have a mini-tour of our moveable
compact shelving. Great PR for the library.
We have not increased our space since the library opened in 1970 with
about 40,000 volumes. We currently have over 150,000 volumes, much of
which is shelved in compact moveable shelving. We are very pleased
that funding was found at three different times over the last 25 years
to keep our collection intact.
--Lyn
Lyn Korenic
Director
Kohler Art Library
800 University Avenue
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53706
tel: (608) 263-2256
fax: (608) 263-2255
email: [log in to unmask]
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