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Shelved booksFrequently asked questions

 

Which collections are being moved?

The moves involve low- to nil-use material that is currently stored at British Library sites at St Pancras, Colindale, Woolwich and Micawber Street. These items are to be moved to the recently-completed Additional Storage Building (ASB), which is located at the Library's site in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire.

Phase One of the moves includes low-use science, technology and medicine (STM) monographs, serials and patents, along with low-use humanities monographs and serials.

A full list of the shelf marks currently affected can be found in the October 2009 Collection Moves Reader Bulletin.

Other material destined for the ASB will begin to move in Phase Two towards the end of 2009. As part of the Library's Newspaper Strategy, we plan for the hardcopy newspaper collection, which currently resides at Colindale, to move between 2010 and 2012.

Why are they being moved?

1. To improve collection storage conditions:

    • At present our collections stored at Colindale, Woolwich and Micawber Street are housed in inadequate environmental conditions which do not meet archival storage standards.
    • By contrast, the ASB at Boston Spa is a purpose-built facility which meets international standards for temperature and humidity control, and will store print material in an ideal low-oxygen, low-light environment.
    • The collection moves will enable us to increase the proportion of the national collection held under environmentally controlled conditions and will therefore ensure its long-term preservation.

2. To rationalise storage of British Library collections and provide future growth space:

    • The collection moves will help the Library to rationalise the storage of our material over two sites (Boston Spa and St Pancras). In the long term this two-site strategy will greatly improve the service we offer to our Readers.

3. To create space in the most appropriate location for new, high-use and high value material to meet service and security needs:

    • Low-use material currently stored in St Pancras together with a proportion of the newspaper collection held at Colindale will be relocated in order to create growth space for new, high-use and high-value material.

4. Vacate storage buildings as leases expire:

    • The leases on our buildings at Micawber Street and 120 Colindale Avenue will expire in 2010 and our lease on Woolwich will expire in May 2011, which means that all collections at these locations will need to be moved prior to this.

When are the moves happening?

Phase 1 of t he moves programme began in earnest in September 2009 and is expected to last right through 2010 for non-newspaper material such as monographs, serials and patents.

In parallel, moves of legal deposit newspaper material from 120 Colindale will be completed in 2010. In future moves of newspaper material from the main building at 130 Colindale are planned as part of the Newspaper Strategy.

How will Readers be affected?

The items that are being moved will be unavailable to Readers while they are prepared, moved and ingested into the new storage facility.

The first shelf mark ranges to be affected by the embargo period were announced in January this year, and the embargo will apply to a succession of shelf mark ranges during the course of the collection moves. In each case, Readers will be given advance notice of shelf marks that are due to be embargoed.

Why is the embargo necessary?

The Additional Storage Building at Boston Spa is unique in its scale and complexity. Because the high-density storage and retrieval system is completely automated, the process of loading it and making it fully operational for the first time requires extensive testing and fine-tuning.

Now that construction work is complete, the loading of containers into the facility's automated racking system has begun. While this process is ongoing no items can be retrieved from the facility owing to the high volume of items - up to 800 containers per hour and 450 meters of collection material - that are being loaded into the building every day.

In addition, it is important that items are gathered in the right place prior to the move north to ensure that they are ingested into the building correctly and accurately logged on the warehouse management system.

How long will the embargo last?

The embargo will last for the period during which we are loading both empty containers (144,000 need to be loaded in total) and bulk loading collection material. Once the loading of containers is complete we will be able to provide access to material in the ASB whilst continuing the bulk load of material. Material still in the source buildings, fully prepared for the move, and material in transit will not be available until it has been loaded into the ASB

Why are the collections moving to Boston Spa and not a site in London?

The land and space already owned by the Library at Boston Spa has allowed us to commission and build the Additional Storage Building (ASB). It is one of the largest and most technologically advanced library repositories in the world. The building is a fully automated, high density, low-oxygen environment storage facility providing us with enhanced storage conditions for the preservation of our collections.

The Library does not have an appropriate site in London for a building of this scale or nature.

How long will I have to wait to receive items from Boston Spa?

Readers will have to order their items 48 hours in advance to ensure that the item can be removed from the ASB and delivered in time to the Reading Room in St Pancras.

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