[padg] Re: preservation dept off central campus

[Shannon Zachary <szachary@xxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Re: [padg] preservation dept off central campus

Hi Bobbie,
I seem to have spent pretty much all my conservation life off-campus. I’ll try to respond to your questions below. Good luck!
Shannon
-- 
Shannon Zachary
Preservation & Conservation
University Library, University of Michigan
837 Greene St., 3202 Buhr Bldg.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-3209
734/763-6980
Fax: 734/763-7886
szachary@xxxxxxxxx



 We are specifically interested in knowing:
--What was moved—the whole program or only parts of it? 
Cornell: just the conservation lab
U-M: For many years it was conservation, book repair, bindery prep, and mass deacidification; since 2005 it has been all of Preservation is off-site.

--If parts moved which parts and why are they where they are?
At both Cornell and U-M the administrative offices and reformatting prep operations were at the main library. Carla Montori was (probably rightly) adamant that administration stay in the thick of things, where she could have the chance encounters with other librarians in the hallways and generally keep an eye out for developing issues. 

--What was the motivating factor for the move?
Space (what else?). In 2005 I became both head of Preservation and the operations manager for conservation, book repair, bindery prep, and mass d. There was no way I could manage operations from a different building half a mile away, so Preservation lost its admin. offices in the main library.

--Are there other parts of the library operation located near the preservation operations and what are those library operations?
At both Cornell and U-M conservation shares a building with the library’s remote storate facility. At U-M the Digital Conversion Unit (scanning operations, what used to be the Preservation Reformatting Unit but now reports to Digital Library Production Services, not Preservation) is just down the hall.

--What is the distance between the preservation operation and your key customers?
At Cornell: a bit over a mile to central campus
At U-M: about half a mile to central campus; up to several miles to the libraries on north campus

--If the preservation program was split what is the distance between the two locations?
At Cornell: over a mile
At U-M: about half a mile

--How has the move affected your ability—positively and negatively—to provide preservation services?
Nice: Windows, easier parking, quiet, fewer interruptions, better security. With fewer people in the building, staff tend to be close, friendly, and helpful to each other.
Not so nice: Responding to developing preservation problems is a pain. Special Collections can’t just drop in or call someone to check whether that fuzzy spot is mold or spue—we have to make an appointment. Administration (me) has to make a deliberate effort to attend library events so I’ll have opportunities to meet other librarians casually. We loose a fair amount of work time doing the commute, and we have to plan for that. Transportation is a major problem, for staff, for collection materials, and for stuff (e.g. supplies needed to work on-site installing a new exhibit). See below.

--Are you using any types of technology to help “span the distance”—such as web cams?
E-mail and telephones; a few dataloggers with Web access.

--How are collection materials [general and special] being moved to the appropriate preservation operation?
General collections: on the library truck; pick-up/deliveries 2x/day during the week. All books going to the commercial binder are delivered to our office from the libraries, are picked up/dropped off here by the binder, and have to be delivered back to the libraries: a couple tons of books every two weeks.
Special collection: Conservation’s in-house rule is that special collection materials are hand-carried/couriered, with at least 2 people in the car. (If the car breaks down, one person stays with the material, the other gets help.) Because the library does not provide a vehicle, we use staff cars. (Savvy staff log the trips and claim it on their tax forms as un-reimbursed business expense.) Because the library does not provide parking, that second person often stays with the car while the first takes the materials into the building.

--How do staff get back and forth?
On foot, by personal car, by bus. There is a free campus shuttle bus that is not too bad—about a block walk at each end. It doesn’t work well if you are laden down with supplies, and the trip to north campus sites takes about half an hour.

In general, what do you think have been the pluses and minuses of the new location(s)?
Transportation is the real problem. Start lobbying right up front for the library to provide a vehicle for the department (and a place to park it at each end). Once staff start using personal cars, the library sees no problem and has no motivation to correct the situation.