Under Construction:Preservation Concerns During Construction and Renovation

LYRASIS Preservation ServicesFunded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of

Preservation and Access.

Unit 2

Unit 2– To Move or Not to Move?– Who is Responsible?– Internal vs. External Movers– Temporary Storage– Preparing to Move Collections

To Move or Not to Move?• Lets examine a few possible

issues involved with moving a collection…

To Move or Not to Move?• Evaluate risks: It is essential that a risk

manager, or perhaps someone from your institution’s facilities office, be involved in helping you calculate the risk to your collections. The decision to temporarily move collection away from spaces being renovated needs to be made early on in the planning process so that there is enough time to prepare the collections. The risks associated with moving a collection must be balanced with the risks associated with the collection remaining in a building that is undergoing renovation. It is usually recommended that staff and collections be moved outside of construction areas, but that may not always be feasible due to financial or spatial limitations.

To Move or Not to Move?• Estimate costs: There will be financial costs

associated with either decision. If you decide to move the collection, you will need to consider the cost of the supplies to prepare items to move, the move itself, and the costs of storage. The costs of a large scale reboxing project, even if temporary like shrink-wrapping materials for transport, can be expensive. If you decide not to move, you will have to consider the costs of the measures you will need to implement to protect the materials in situ as well as the potential costs of disaster recovery and replacement if collections remain in a building being renovated.

To Move or Not to Move?• Examine Insurance: Insurance issues should be

carefully evaluated as well. For example, if a contractor recommends that collections be moved and you decide not to follow this advice, your institution will likely be responsible for any construction-related damage. Consult your insurance policy – often collections are insured only in their original location; you may need to purchase an additional policy for the items that are stored off-site. The advice of a qualified risk manager and your insurance agent will be crucial in dealing with these issues.

To Move or Not to Move?• Consider accessibility: You must also consider

accessibility and issues of bibliographic control. Are you going to try and remain open during the construction process? How will you access your materials if they are off-site, or boxed up? The status and locations of these items should be accurately reflected in the library catalog.

Moving Collections: Who is Responsible?

• Gather together potential players: If you are moving your collections temporarily or to a more permanent location, it is important to get all the potential players involved early. If you have a preservation or conservation department, it is essential that they play an early and active role in the process so that they have time to order appropriate moving materials and train staff in the appropriate preparation of materials for moving. You will also need input from those departments who are responsible for collections that will be moving, as well as the IT department. You should also get input from facilities and security staff.

Moving Collections: Who is Responsible?

• Appoint move supervisor: You should appoint a move manager to supervise the move. This person will provide leadership and head the moving committee/team. You can hire an outside consultant, who may have the expertise but will cost you money, or utilize staff from the inside, who may lack the expertise of time to do the job effectively. Whoever you choose, this person must be able to work well with a variety of people from both inside and outside the institution.

• Put all decisions in writing: Make sure that all decisions regarding the move and the responsibility for each portion be put in writing so that there is no confusion.

Internal vs. External Movers• What is right for you?

Internal vs. External Movers• Internal:

– You may be able to utilize various people to assist you with your move.• Staff• Volunteers• Student workers

– One of the advantages to internal movers is that many are already familiar with collections and appropriate care and handling procedures.

– It may also be a cheaper alternative than hiring outside workers.

Internal vs. External Movers• Internal:

– For example, larger universities may have crews specifically devoted to moving things from one building to another,

– Other factors to consider include:• Size of items being moved• Type of material• Value• Condition of items being moved

Internal vs. External Movers• External: If you decide to hire someone from the

outside to move your collections, conduct an interview to make sure that they have experience working with cultural institutions. Go over types of materials and the specific needs of each. (For example, a fragile rare volume needs to be treated differently than an oversized map.) Train them in proper care and handling. Let them know that speed is not as important in this move as the safe handling of the materials.

*Be aware that staff at moving companies may frequently change, so you may have to provide this training more than once.*

Internal vs. External Movers• External: Get to know the person in charge of

the move and understand their expectations as well. Professional movers have their own procedures. For example, can map cases be moves with the materials inside?– Although you need to be sure that these processes will

not damage your collections, they also may have suggestions that you may not have thought of, like how to safely transport objects of an unusual size.

• Finally, establish the method of payment upfront – will they charge y the hour, the linear foot, or the job?

Internal vs. External Movers• For more information on selecting a professional

mover, click on links below to find resources provided by the American Library Association.

• http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets

• http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet14

Temporary StorageIf you decide to temporarily move the collections off-site during your renovation, you need to select a storage facility that will protect your collections.• The facility must be climate controlled. Many

storage companies claim to have climate-controlled facilities, but they are no all of the same quality. Does the space have adequate HVAC system? Do they monitor the environment to ensure that your collections remain in conditions that meet recommended temperature and humidity ranges for the materials? Also, how new is the facility? Never introduce materials into a site which has just been painted or had its floors sealed.

Temporary Storage• Next, find out what kind of

security the facility provides. Security includes protection from thievery as well as protection from water leaks and fires.

• Does the space have an adequate fire suppression system? Water detectors? Will your staff have the ability to access the materials in an emergency. Regardless of the time of the day? How close is the facility to your institution?

Temporary Storage• If you are continuing to provide

access to the materials during the renovation process, you will want to select a site that is nearby. Even it you are not regularly retrieving items, you should plan to visit regularly to check on your collection and this will not be convenient if it is far away.

*All of these factors can influence whether or not a facility can safely house your collections during your renovation.

Preparing to Move Collections• Before you begin to move the collections, you

must have a complete inventory of the items in your collection. For many of us, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. If working with library materials, you can start with your card catalog, Museums can stat with the items officially registered and archives can begin with their processed collections.

Preparing to Move Collections• But what about all the

unprocessed materials and gift items waiting to be evaluated?

These items will have to be inventories, at least in a cursory level. This may take some time, so start the process early. The good news is that you have a more complete inventory, and a detailed list of where materials are located, by the time you are through with the moving process!

Preparing to Move Collections• In order to ensure a smooth move, everything

must be clearly labeled – from the aisles to shelves to boxes themselves. Some institutions use this time as an opportunity to barcode all materials (or boxes) in order to improve physical control over the material in the new space.

Preparing to Move Collections• Make sure that every item you are

moving has a location to go to. With a newly renovated space, you may be relocating oversized items to special shelving, integrating various accessions of archival collections into one location, etc. – Measure twice (or three or four times) so that

you only have to move.– Factor in space needed for future growth,– Make sure that new shelving will fit your

collections.– Keep your location guide simple and easy to

follow by both staffers and movers.

Preparing to Move Collections• For more tips on preparing

to move collections, see Alfred Lemmon’s piece entitled, The Moving of Collections, available here:

http://www.lyrasis.org/LYRASIS%20Digital/Documents/Preservation%20PDFs/Under_Construction_all_pages.pdf

Alfred’s article begins at page 40 in this PDF document.

Moving the Collections• Track materials throughout all stages

of the move, especially if transporting the collections over great distances. Make sure that all boxes, books, etc. are where they should be before and after you move. Make sure that both institution and moving staff signs off when materials leave one space and enter another. Have multiple people verify the arrival of each and every box, book, or object.

Moving the Collections • Before you begin the actual

process of moving the collections, walk through the routes you will be using with the moving supervisor. Make sure that elevators and doorways are wide enough. If you need a key to use a freight elevator, get it in advance. Also, consider where the movers will be able to park.

• Dealing with potential problems upfront will make the move go much more smoothly.

Moving the Collections • On the day of the move, make sure that a staff

member is available at all times to answer questions, maintain security, and ensure that movers are handling materials appropriately. You may also discover that there are items that did not get labeled or wrapped properly. Identify all people involved in the move. Use badges, t-shirts, or hats, to clearly identify who should be handling materials.

• Keep your staff safe. You need to do more than provide proper tools for lifting and work gloves for working with pallets and carts; you need to make sure that they use them.

• Do a final walkthrough to make sure nothing is left behind.

Unit 2 QuizWhat Have You Learned?

Unit 2 Quiz• Question 1: What issues should be

considered when collections are moved outside of construction areas?– A: Space– B: Staffing– C: Insurance– D: Money– E: All of the above

Unit 2 Quiz• Question 1: What issues should be

considered when collections are moved outside of construction areas?– Answer: E: All of the above

• Many of these issues are interrelated and all need attention when moving collections.

Unit 2 Quiz• Question 2: What is not a benefit of

using internal versus external movers?– A: Less expensive– B: Knowledge of collections– C: Procedural workflows– D: Understanding of care and handling

procedures

Unit 2 Quiz• Question 2: What is not a benefit of

using internal versus external movers?– Answer: C: Procedural workflows

• Chances are the external movers will already have a workflow in place with proper equipment; and with training, will properly handle the materials being moved. Using internal staff will take more planning and organization of equipment and workflows.

Unit 2• Question 3: When preparing to move

collection, it is acceptable to leave some materials “temporarily homeless.” These material can find permanent locations after the move.– True or False?

Unit 2• Question 3: When preparing to move

collection, it is acceptable to leave some materials “temporarily homeless.” These material can find permanent locations after the move.– Answer: False

• All materials should have a planned location prior to move for proper space and resource allocation.

Thank You!To continue Under

Construction, View Unit 3

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