"It’s probably already happened at your institution–university libraries are built at a certain moment in time with certain assumptions about the kinds of growth and collections storage they’ll need in the future. Given the expanded role they’ve been expected to play in the past twenty years as sites that offer PCs, web access, and access to digital collections and databases, on top of the books and journals they continue to purchase and store, more and more libraries are moving to off-site storage for their older and/or less frequently used volumes. (Baa Ram U. has off-site storage books that are usually delivered in a day or two. It’s understandable–we’ve been here since 1870, so you have to have priorities.) Syracuse University library had a plan to move half of their collection to a storage facility 250 miles away–and the faculty and students revolted Wednesday night (h/t Inside Higher Ed):" - Katy S from Bookmarklet

FROM one of the comments on the blog: "Indyanna on 14 Nov 2009 at 8:53 pm # You could write a whole freaking book filled with the breathless commentary of academic librarians damning books and praising information, lauding process and interactivity while reminding us how boring mere borrowing used to be. They’ve all been appropriately power-pointed on how students today think with non-linear imaginations because they grew up in non-linear social spaces, so all those long straight lines of shelving just shut down their creative souls. This is, it should be said, mostly your hard-charging careerist managerial librarians, not the good folks you meet at the checkout desk or working the stacks. It’s partly a cultural revolt against old American stereotypes about librarianship, but it also presumably makes it a lot easier for them to get along with the metrics freaks in the modern academic executive suite. " - Katy S

I think the campus library is still at the heart of what people want their colleges and universities to be, and that the campus as a whole needs a say in how the library operates. I think if they really need this storage facility and they really need it that far from campus, then the library needs to make that case. If the faculty and students really want/need the books, then they should speak up. The "metrics freaks" vs. the "probably haven't actually checked out a book" stuff helps no one. - Your Neighbor Steve

There's a lot more to libraries than metrics, though. Say for argument's sake that people weren't using the books (not the case on our campus, but I know campuses are different). If they don't feel they had a say in how to solve the problem, and if they feel this decision was shoved down their throats in a "we know better than you how scholarship is done here" way, this library will lose valuable trust and respect on campus. - lris

The library can't just think long and hard, they have to fight it out. I'm just saying that if they didn't see this coming, they aren't talking to students and faculty enough. I'd hope the librarians have at least 200 people in their rolodexes ready to come to meetings and argue on their behalf. It's the University's library, not the librarians'. - Your Neighbor Steve

Yeah, as usual I'm with Iris. If the Syracuse faculty are feeling an STFU vibe from the library, the game is over. - Your Neighbor Steve

What I'm left wondering, is this: How many of those who are now upset actually worked with their department's library liaison? How many have ignored messages regarding the library until this happened (I've seen people surprised who shouldn't be)? If these faculty aren't making their research needs known to the librarians, why not? Basically, if there are communication problems here, I don't think it's all on the library. - Katy S

There's definitely two sides to communication and I've seen times when information has gone to faculty yet not been received by all faculty, or gone to students who then post blog comments complaining about something that's already been asked and answered. But the library can take an active role in explaining "If you want us to keep buying books and you won't give us more space then offsite storage it's got to be" - and explaining *early* - too often it seems like libraries are trying to put on a brave face but end up just looking autocratic and secretive. - Deborah Fitchett

confused with your title... what's the 'sexual politics' about? #smlask - See-ming Lee 李思明 SML

See-ming - That's part of the title of the blog this entry is from. The blog owner is a feminist historian. - Katy S

All I could think when I read the story in IHE was "why didn't you talk to people about the idea before you announced it as a plan?" Maybe people aren't browsing - but you could at least talk through the issues and not have a surprise revolt on your hands. In other words - I'm with Steve on this. oh, and Iris, too. It's sort of unfortunate that the dean of libraries at this place had just said (for the sake of argument) at Educause that "the library as place is dead. Kaput. Finito." Well, it just woke up in a bad mood. - barbara fister

Yeah, that was just bad timing on the debate thing. Because it sounds like she believes in library as a place and the learning commons idea as a key component of that place. - Your Neighbor Steve

Ouch! The Syracuse situation aside, one of the things I found most interesting about this blog post and the comments is the way the misunderstandings between faculty and librarians are playing out. They are typical, yes - nothing new here - but they interest me nonetheless. Definitely a little librarian bashing going on. Part of the communication gap problem, I think. - Katy S