New Collections Storage Plan

In a May 16 letter to the research community, the Library’s Andrew W. Mellon Director William Kelly shared the following update on the institution’s growing research collection and plans for developing appropriate storage. The update includes an update on the status of the historic stacks inside the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.

Collections Storage Plan

The New York Public Library, like every active research library, is constantly evaluating its long-term preservation and storage needs, both in terms of capacity and conditions. As part of this work, the Library undertook two recently concluded, interconnected studies. The first —conducted by architectural firms Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle—identified options for renovating the seven stories of 108-year-old shelves located in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. The second evaluated the Library’s overall capacity needs (for a collection of over 40 million items and approximately 10 million research books).

Guided by these studies, the Library has framed a multi-pronged approach to increasing capacity and improving preservation conditions for our growing research collections.

The Historic Stacks

In their current state, the stacks can no longer serve as a repository for the Library’s collections; their environment is woefully inadequate to that task. The Time-Weighted Preservation Index, an industry-wide metric used to assess the quality of storage facilities, scores the stacks between 35 and 40, a level well below acceptable limits. By way of comparison, ReCAP, the Library’s state-of-the-art, off-site storage facility, registers 158.

The stacks study (see Executive Summary and full report) evaluated a variety of possible uses of the space. Based on current need and priority, the Library decided to only consider options that would make the space appropriate for research collections storage. The study concluded that the approximate cost of retrofitting the space—creating an appropriate environment for general and special collections—would be $200 million. A more modest option, one which would not accommodate special collections or offer flexibility for book storage, would, at current construction prices, cost $80 million dollars.

 

RECAP, the Library's state-of-the-art storage facility.
RECAP, the Library’s state-of-the-art storage facility.

Storage Capacity

The concomitant capacity study focused on accommodating at least 10 years of collections growth. To that end, the study identified two potential approaches. The first focused on the Milstein Research Stacks (the storage facility located under Bryant Park), suggesting the refurbishment of a dedicated special collections space, and the development of new protocols to enhance delivery efficiencies. We currently satisfy over 90% of research requests at the 42nd Street Library with materials held on site; these improvements will sustain our ability to meet that goal.

The second recommendation involved building new space at ReCAP, together with our partners Columbia, Harvard, and Princeton universities. The study noted that the preservation environment there is far superior to any on-site storage option; estimates suggest that the lifespan of books held there is four to five times longer than that of volumes maintained in conventional library circumstance. Further, ReCAP’s shared collection program provides NYPL patrons with direct access to the Columbia and Princeton collections held there. In the near future, Havard’s off-site collections will be available as well. Noted as well were ReCAP’s collaborative funding model, which significantly reduces construction and maintenance costs, and its scanning services and next-day delivery capability, which support researchers from all four of the Library’s research centers. The total cost of the Milstein renovation and the ReCAP expansion was estimated at $15 million.

Confronted with these alternatives, and attentive to the radical fluidity of publishing and storage technologies, the Library has decided to pursue the Milstein/ReCAP option. In doing so, it ensures a 10-year window of collection growth, optimizes storage environments, and protects the Library’s fiscal wellbeing. The stacks will be maintained as-is, providing future flexibility.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *