Library planning in the electronic era: are the stacks necessary? Where are stacks going?

Information Outlook, August, 2002 by Chuck Finnerty

"GET RID OF THE STACKS." AS WITH ALL CATCH PHRASES, THIS ONE was first used in moderation and eventually progressed to the cliche level. Suddenly the cliche is everywhere. It surrounds us and is one of the more prominent cliches in the special library world today. It signifies a seemingly radical development, but is really part of a Long Line of change in space planning requirements that all special libraries need to heed in order to survive and flourish.

The evolution of information delivery by special libraries can be traced through the changes in space planning requirements. Particularly in corporate settings, file rooms were first transformed into more traditional libraries, and in many cases served as a showcase for upper management to display to visitors. This was followed by the computerized information centers of today. In all of these cases, the type and mixture of collections and staff dictated the use of space. The journey continues today, with the question being, "How much stack material will we keep?"

The cost of real estate, constant changes in technology and staff configuration forces us to look at information resources, no matter what their format, as a dynamic commodity. We may have stacks today, but tomorrow they could be replaced by anything.

The Path Away from Stacks

In the early '80s, before the advent of the personal computer, special libraries were frequently staffed by a single information professional. A clerical staff supported the information professional and maintained a paper collection, which was sufficient to meet the needs of the parent organization. In time-critical environments, "Just in Case" was the motto for collection development and book stacks dominated a facility's space.

As online indexing proliferated, the need for large collections was still prevalent, but space needed to be set aside for computer work stations as well (much to the chagrin of upper management). In addition, the high cost of computer equipment made it prohibitive to put computers on individual desktops; consequently, searching facilities were frequently set up in a separate location in the library. Originally these PC work stations were solely for use by the library staff, but they often became a shared resource as end-users began to do their own research online. The arrival of more sophisticated information tools was an impetus for special libraries to expand their professional staffs, while support staffs were already as large as ever in order to maintain online sources. By the '90s, space planning changed to accommodate individual staff work stations. As more and more sources were digitized, the need for maintaining large collections of periodicals and corporate documents dwindled.

With collections getting smaller, libraries began to emphasize their real asset--the professional staff. As information became increasingly integrated into the daily needs of the organization, many libraries began to look more like the surrounding office space. In some instances, the library moved from a defined separate space to a "library without walls." As many library managers can attest, there was (and is) a trend to place the information professional in the immediate vicinity of the groups being served, thereby cutting down on the space needed for a central library facility. Space planners and architects seized on this integration concept and began using standard systems furniture in the library. Gone were the massive, custom-built reference desks. If a library relocated on a Friday, facilities wanted a new group to be able to occupy the vacant space by Monday. One important result of this mentality was the reluctance of management to pay for added floor load capability in any specific area. Without the added floor strength, space-efficient, mobile-aisle systems housing major collections could not be used, limiting the size of collections.

A Balancing Act

The library is often built as a functional stop in a larger open-space layout. The facility as a destination point is gone, in many places along with the walls. The library should be built with an eye to deconstruct. In other words, what is your educated guess as to the next collection or service to be curtailed, with a resulting reduction in needed space?

The need for stack space and its added costs will vary greatly by the mandate of the library and the discipline served. In the legal profession there has been a long battle waged on how extensive a collection is required. In one instance a legal library has been asked to place a renewed emphasis on training new associates on strategies for searching the print collections. Many partners believe that pure electronic source searching does not result in a complete final reference product.

Janet Accardo at Skadden Arps, a major international law firm, had a busy several years preparing for a major relocation of her law firm. Within a year of that move, the library was told the space it was occupying would be needed for attorney offices. A study was undertaken and the library is now split, with 70 percent of the facility relocated to space on the concourse level. The typical scenario says it does not make sense for a library to relocate unless there is allowance for at least a 30 percent increase in stack space. In a legal environment, where much of the collection is serial in nature, the library relocated with no net gain in stack space, forcing the staff to prioritize its resources.