College and Research Libraries 478 I College & Research Libraries • November 1982 MICHAELS. FREEMAN College Library Buildings in Transition: A Study of 36 Libraries Built in 1967-68 The Library Journal architectural issue of 1967 contained the first of Jerrold Orne's an- nual statistical surveys of college and univer- sity library architecture. 1 Designed to pro- vide a continuing record of academic library construction, it also introduced standardiza- tion in the reporting of new buildings. Data offered in the surveys can serve as a starting point for charting the ways in which individ- ual libraries have changed physically over the years. It may be an overstatement to say that li- braries listed in the first years of the survey are now approaching middle age. Some li- braries, barely a decade and a half old, face problems now which were not encountered in twice that time by the buildings they re- placed. The present study seeks to examine certain library buildings constructed in 1967 and 1968, specifically those that serve col- leges. How have these structures adapted to the growth of their collections? How serious are storage and seating problems? What spe- cific physical modifications have been made since they opened? TARGET GROUP The study is limited to institutions that en- _rolled 3,000 or fewer students when their li- braries were new. Libraries that met the re- quirements in 1967 or 1968, but have greater enrollments today, are still included. These institutions would now be classified as com- prehensive universities and colleges or liberal arts colleges, according to the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. 2 How- ever, since the Carnegie topology did not ex- ist in 1967 or 1968, the decision was made to choose the target group according to the stu- dent clientele served. Seventy-two libraries became part of the study (seventy-five were Michael S. Freeman is director of library ser- vices, Andrews Library, The College of Wooster, Wooster , Ohio. included in the target group; three had closed in the intervening years); thirty-six (or 50 percent) of the libraries returned the sur- vey instrument (eighteen each from Orne's 1967 and 1968list). The median enrollment was 1,284 (1979-80 figures). Most of the tar- get group has a collection size today of be- tween 100,000 and 200,000 volumes; 28 per- cent had fewer than 100,000 volumes; and 11 percent more than 200,000. RESULTS Storage Space Five libraries in the survey indicated that they had already reached capacity. A com- parison of current collection size with the data in the Orne survey shows that these buildings are between 100-160 percent of planned capacity. An additional five li- braries also exceeded theoretical storage lim- its, and each of these reported less than five years growth available. In all, fifteen of the thirty-six libraries indicated five or fewer years of space for printed material. Some of these will probably encounter serious diffi- culties in the near future. Only five had any concrete plans for increasing book storage. Some of the thirty-six responding libraries have avoided or mitigated their storage problems by a variety of means. Three have built additions to their original structures, two have acquired remote storage facilities, and one opened a separate branch library. However, one library in three increased stor- age capacity through more conventional ways, most notably by placing additional shelving in areas originally designed for non- storage uses, or by eliminating open space. Two libraries noted a major gain in shelf space by moving book stacks closer together. Seating Space When the libraries were constructed, the seating percentage (the median ratio of seat- ing space to full-time enrollment) was .38. Research Notes I 4 79 TABLE 1 REAsoNs FOR BUILDING MoDIFICATION Reduce future energy costs Increase access for handicapped Reduce noise Prevent loss of library resources Increase comfort of users Enhance attractiveness of building (interior or exterior) By 1981, that figure had dropped to .26. Four libraries actually increased seat- ing/enrollment ratios since they opened, and six others declined by less than 10 percent. In several individual cases, the drop in seating percentage was due to enrollment increases. In others, seating areas were converted to book storage. However, the degree of erosion in the seating percentage is nearly the same for the thirteen most crowded libraries as compared to the total group. The sample here is quite small, so judgments must be qualified, but there is no evidence of large conversions of study space to book storage even in libraries that are rapidly approach- ing capacity. The 1981 seating percentage is well within the range suggested for typical residential college libraries by the 1975 .. Standards for College Libraries. "3 Formula C of the .. Stan- dards" recommends that seating .. shall be one for each four FTE students." The ade- quacy of seating space in the libraries sur- veyed is reflected by the fact that only one li- brary in five rated patron study spaces inadequate during peak-usage times, and only one library from the responding thirty- five felt that the number of spaces was inade- quate during a typical term period. Building Modifications 1967168-1981 Table 1lists six current needs of many li- braries. Libraries in the survey were asked to indicate which of these needs resulted in building modifications between 1967/68 and 1981, and which would need to be accom- plished in the next five years. Security-motivated changes (especially book-detection systems) were accomplished by a majority of the libraries surveyed. Clearly, fewer changes were done for aes- thetic reasons or for user comfort. A large number of the libraries surveyed Major Modifications Minor Modifications Completed Needed Completed Needed 2 6 13 13 2 7 12 12 2 2 5 10 6 4 14 14 0 3 7 6 0 2 11 11 believed that substantial investments would be necessary in order to reduce energy con- sumption and to ensure accessibility to hand- icapped patrons. Other Interior Adjustments To gauge the extent of interior changes, the survey presented the libraries with a list of twenty functional areas, and the respon- dents were asked to indicate which had changed building locations since opening day. The tabulation is presented in table 2. Interior adjustments were made by 63 per- cent of the libraries, and over one-third had made three or more such changes over the years. Some relocations in these libraries were due to altered program objectives, the varied formats of library materials, and the need to provide services or house collections not foreseen by the building planners of the 1960s. Four of the eight libraries that changed the location of their government document oper- ations became federal documents deposito- ries after 1968. While the survey did not spe- cifically measure this, it is likely that the TABLE 2 CHANGES IN BuiLDING LocATIONS Functional Area Media or A-V center Microforms Government documents Maps Reference department Special collections Current periodicals Bound periodicals Acquisitions Staff lounge Public card catalog Interlibrary loan Serials processing All other areas Number of Libraries 14 11 8 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 or less 480 I College & Research Libraries • November 1982 large number of changes in audiovisual or media centers was due to service expansion and/or moves to consolidate such services within the library. When asked to indicate other modifications in public service or pro- cessing areas that have taken place, few li- braries listed anything more other than fur- niture relocation, new carpeting, or similar minor changes. CoNCLUSION The survey reveals that a major concern for college-sized libraries in the 1980s will be space for library materials. Whether or not the problem reaches crisis proportions will depend on the ingenuity of librarians and the availability of resources. Unfortunately, the next ten years look particularly grim for higher education, and certain solutions to storage problems (new buildings, additions, remote storage, compact storage) are fairly expensive. Libraries can take other actions to address the problem (e.g., greater use of mi- croforms, more intensive weeding), but their constituencies may find these solutions unac- ceptable. In some cases, areas within the li- brary used in pursuit of nonlibrary functions can be regained. Three-fourths of the li- braries surveyed have portions of their build- ings devoted to other uses. Most are class- rooms, but academic and administrative offices, computer centers, reading and study-skill centers, art galleries, and radio stations are also found in libraries. In the short term, some libraries may con- vert seating areas (still at levels recom- mended in the ALA "Standards for College Libraries") into storage space. While seating percentages have dropped over the years, it is impossible to state that this is due to crowded book shelves. If conversion does occur in open-stack libraries, patrons and books will compete for the same limited space. Ironi- cally, the decline in full-time enrollment, predicted for many colleges until the 1990s, may ameliorate this problem. However, if during the 1980s, overcrowded libraries seek to gain book-storage space by eliminating study areas, they will surely face the next decade with adequate room for neither users nor materials. Assuredly, future planning will need to be farsighted. Many libraries will require sub- stantial investments if their physical plants are to serve their public adequately. Herein lies a major challenge: While requesting funds, librarians will have to convince fac- ulty and alumni that despite the optimism of opening day, their college has an aging li- brary. REFERENCES 1. Jerrold Orne, "Academic Library Building in 1967," Library Journal 92:4345-5.0 (Dec. 1, 1967). 2. Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, A Classification of Institutions of Higher Educa- tion: A Technical Report (Berkeley, Calif.: The Commission, 1973). 3. Association of College and Research Libraries, "Standards for College Libraries," College & Research Libraries News 36:277-301 (Oct. 1975). Statement of Ownership and Management College & Research Libraries is published six times a year by the American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago , IL 60611. Annual subscription price, $17.50. American Library Association, owner; C. James Schmidt, editor. Second-class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois . Printed in U.S. A. As a nonprofit organization authorized to mail at special rates (Section 132.122 Postal Service Manual) , the purposes, function , and nonprofit status of this organization, and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes, have not changed during the preceding twelve months. Extent and Nature of Circulation ("Average" figures denote the number of copies printed each issue during the preceding twelve months; "Actual" figures denote number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing date-the July 1982 issue.) Total number of copies printed: Average, 13,048; Actual , 12,548 . Paid circulation: not applicable (i.e., no sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors and counter sales.) Mail subscriptions: Average, 11,342; Actual , 10,542 . Total paid circulation: Average, 11 ,342; Actual , 10,542. Free distri- bution by mail, carrier, or other means, samples, complimentary and other free copies: Average, 1,419; Actual, 1,410. Total distribution: Average, 12,761 ; Actual, 11 ,952. Copi es not distributed: office use, left-over , unaccounted, spoiled after printing: Average, 287 ; Actual, 596. Returns from n ews agents: not applicable. Total (sum previous three entries): Average, 13,048; Actual , 12,548. Statement of Ownership , Manag em ent , and Circulation (PS form 3526, July 1981) for 1982 filed with the United States Post Office, Postmaster in Chicago, Illinois, September 30 , 1982 . PUT THE ENTIRE liBRARY OF CONGRESS NUCAND CATALOG OF I300K'i IN ){)LJR DESK DRAWER FOR UNDER$6400 Imagine. The LC National Union Catalog from 1953 to 1982 and the Catalog of Books Represented by LC Printed Cards from 1898 to 1952 in convenient, easy to use microfiche form. 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