[PADG:1630] Bound Newspaper Shelving and Related Questions

["Robert J. Milevski" <milevski@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Folks,

I am working on a project here at Princeton and I would like to get some 
information, quite a bit actually, about bound newspaper storage and 
use.  A rather lengthy set of questions follows and I would appreciate any 
bit of response to any of them.  I will take telephone calls as well as 
email responses.  Beginning Thursday, March 21, I will be away on business 
for several days and will not be able to get back to you until I return on 
April 1.  Thank you.

Robert

Shelving I

--Have any of the offsite storage facilities built by libraries factored in 
the storage of bound newspapers?
--If so, what was involved and what effect did it have on the outfitting of 
the facility, including the shelving and retrieval of these volumes by 
facility staff?
--Are there library or industrial shelving outfitters/suppliers who have 
some specialty/experience in bound newspaper shelving design?
--Is any equipment/shelving used in these designs proprietary or modular?

Shelving II

--What is the width and depth of your typical bound newspaper shelf?
--Are the shelving units fixed or movable, ie compact storage?
--Is the shelving four-post design or cantilevered?
--For compact shelving designs, ie cantilevered, has anyone shimmed the 
shelf brackets to angle the shelves up ever so slightly to keep volumes 
from traveling off the shelf during the movement of these stacks?
--If so, did you custom design and have produced these shims?  Or are some 
available commercially?
--What gauge metal is the shelving?
--What is the finish on the metal?
--What is the distance between the shelves in a section?
--What is the ideal maximum number of bound volumes stacked on a shelf?

Any other info about shelving that I have not asked would be appreciated.

Paging

--Are bound newspaper volumes transported to users or to reproduction 
operations on special, ie large-sized, book trucks?
--For large or heavy bindings, is more than one person required to safely 
retrieve a volume from the shelf or to remove volumes to gain access to one 
further down in the stack?
--If being transported from a remote facility, what precautions are taken 
during transport to safely deliver these volumes?

Any other info about paging that I have not asked would be appreciated.

Patron Use

--What are the conditions under which patrons may use bound 
newspapers?  For example, do you provide a large reading table, one that is 
larger than the volume be used?  Do you provide any kind of support system 
to hold the volumes open at an angle less than 180 degrees (when they are 
fragile or will not open flat due to binding constriction) or to elevate 
the edge of the volume the furthest away from the reader (like a dictionary 
stand cradle)?
--Do you put use restrictions on fragile or tightly bound volumes?

Any other info about patron use of bound newspaper volumes that I have not 
asked would be appreciated.

Reproduction

--How do you handle requests for copies of pages from bound newspapers that 
have not been previously microfilmed, photographed or digitized?
--Do you typically provide photocopies of these pages, or are photographs 
or digital images taken, with the reader receiving a print or print out of 
the page image?
--How do you handle the reproduction of tightly bound volumes, either for 
patron requests or for project-based work, such as microfilming, 
photography or digitization?
--Do you ever or have you had to disbind volumes for reproduction 
work?  (This is not meant to be a loaded question.)

Any other info about reproduction policies or methodologies that I have not 
asked would be appreciated.
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Robert J. Milevski
Preservation Librarian
Princeton University Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544
(609) 258-5591
Fax:  (609) 258-4105
Email:  milevski@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Preservation Office website:
http://libweb2.Princeton.EDU/preservation/ccu/PO-IntroPage.html
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