Reorganization of Stack Space in the Performing Arts Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

International Association of Libraries and Museums of the Performing Arts

Société Internationale des Bibliothèques et des Musées des Arts du Spectacle

Reorganization of Stack Space in the Performing Arts Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

Helen Adair
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Centre
University of Texas (United States)

Les collections des arts du spectacle et leur traitement
Performing Arts Collections and their Treatment

24ème Congrès International
24st International Conference

Rome, 2-7 septembre 2002
Rome, September 2-7, 2002

Abstract

In the Performing Arts Collection at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, the organization of space for the storage of manuscript and book collections has been a major problem for many years. Although the collection no longer operates its own reading room, it occupies separate stack space and has traditionally been administered independently of other units within the Ransom Center. From September 2000 to August 2002, the Performing Arts Collection underwent a major stack reorganization project which completely reconfigured the stack space and alleviated a host of collection management problems. This paper will explain the goals of the project, outline the steps involved, and comment upon the results.

The Performing Arts Collection is a research collection documenting the history of theater, dance, costume and scenic design, opera, and popular entertainment in Britain and America from the eighteenth through mid-twentieth centuries. In addition to playscripts, promptbooks, correspondence, playbills, programs, and clippings, the collection is rich in visual material such as production photographs, set and costume renderings, posters, prints and engravings, and set models. The Performing Arts Collection is divided into 140 discrete collections stored in two rooms on the seventh floor of the Ransom Center (7A and 7C) and its overall size is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 linear feet. The archival collections are supplemented by the Theatre Arts Library which consists of 30,000 books related to the performing arts.

Since the University of Texas' first major theatre acquisition in 1956, the size of the Performing Arts Collection and the Theatre Arts Library has increased, but stack space has not expanded significantly since the early 1980s. In 1986 the stacks in 7A were partially reconfigured, but without any significant gain in stack space. As a consequence, by the mid-1990s there was no room for new collections, no room to install more shelving, and no room to shift existing collections in hope of finding a more efficient configuration. Some collections with oversize material were split into numerous stack locations, causing considerable inefficiencies in paging and cataloging, and contributing to the general difficulty in training new staff for public service duties in the collection.

In Fall 1999 a task force was formed to address the organization of space in the Performing Arts Collection. Its charge was to present a plan for the reorganization of stack space and oversize storage (flat files and file cabinets) which would maximize space for current collection materials and future acquisitions, as well as eliminate non-standard shelving, storage, and housings. After examining a broad range of options, the task force recommended a comprehensive, long-term solution to the space problems in the Performing Arts Collection rather than short-term or piecemeal approaches. The task force endorsed a phased approach to the reconfiguration of the stacks which could be accomplished within two years.

The project was budgeted at $188,000 which covered the cost of equipment (shelving, flat files, and lateral file cabinets), conservation supplies, the salary of a full-time office assistant, and the services of professional movers. The goals of the project, which began in September 2000, were to maximize efficiency by upgrading or reconfiguring existing shelving and cabinets; eliminate all temporary, unbraced wooden shelving; standardize collection housings wherever possible, such as by rehousing materials in file cabinets into document cases; where possible, consolidate dispersed portions of individual collections for cataloging and paging efficiency; and label all parts of the collection according to current Ransom Center standards. These goals were accomplished in three phases:

Phase 1: Reconfiguration of staff space. Because the Ransom Center’s Art Collection shared stack space with the Performing Arts Collection on the seventh floor, the project had a major impact on office space for Art Collection staff. The Art Collection’s files, work areas, and finding aids were moved into nearby vacant former gallery space and other offices. The Performing Arts Collection’s business files and provenance records, which had been stored some distance away from the main work area in 7A, were moved to 7A.

Phase 2: Reconfiguration of Theatre Arts Library. Ranges of book shelving were installed in the space previously occupied by the Art Collection. Next, the Theatre Arts Library was shifted onto the new shelving and compacted so that the books fit into a smaller space. Steps were taken to insure that no further growth would take place in the Theatre Arts book collections, and space-consuming runs of two daily periodicals were deaccessioned.

Phase 3: Reconfiguration of archival collection space. With the book collection removed from a large portion of 7A, this space was available for general reconfiguration. This was accomplished via the ongoing process of rehousing collections from file cabinets into archival boxes, and the gradual replacement of most of the file cabinets with more space-efficient ranges of free-standing shelving in the space vacated. Also, wall-mounted shelving replaced temporary wooden shelving and made use of most of the available wall space. New shelving had various widths suited to archival materials ranging from document cases to large scrapbooks. We purchased six lateral file cabinets and transferred some items from flat files into these cabinets, and unframed and transferred to flat files large items in existing wooden slot files which were then removed.

When the project was completed in August 2002, shelf space had increased from 1,665 linear feet to 5,127 linear feet, or 308%. The benefits of the reconfiguration extended beyond collection management. For many collections, word-processed lists were created as materials were rehoused, thereby improving access. Out-of-scope collections were relocated offsite or deaccessioned. Because collections were clearly labeled, staff from other departments could more easily locate materials without assistance, freeing Performing Arts staff for outreach and cataloging activities. The stack project also contributed to a much-needed revision of the unit's web page and invited a level of discussion and exchange within Performing Arts and with other Ransom Center units that was unmatched in recent memory.

24th Congress

URL: http://www.sibmas.org/congresses/sibmas2002/rome01.htm

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