[PADG:1875] barcoding for offsite storage

[Emily Holmes <emily.holmes@xxxxxxx>]

Like so many institutions these days, NYU is in the process of creating a high density offsite storage facility. One of the many questions that has come up in this process is how (and where) to barcode the books. So, I'm wondering what you all have been doing and how it's worked for you. Have you been placing barcodes on the inside or outside of the books? If on the outside, where on the book are you placing them? On the front or back? Are they at all damaging to the outside covers or do they tend to fall off of highly used volumes (we'd be uniformly barcoding *all* volumes on the outside, whether they're headed for storage or not)

We're also pretty concerned about many of our little used, fragile 19th century cloth bindings and the effects of pressure sensitive adhesives, particularly if they are applied to the front covers. I'm wondering if this has been a concern for others and how you've managed negotiate this with other librarians and managers within the library. 

Thanks very much for any help you can offer. Happy Holidays to you all!   Emily

Emily Holmes
Assistant Preservation Librarian
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Sq. South
New York, NY 10012-1091
Phone: (212)998-2518
Fax: (212) 995-4583