>, EXTENSION TO LIBRARY STACK

The Watson Library Book Stack, which was inadequate to shelve the
book collection when it was built fourteen years ago, has a capacity of
121,000 volumes. Shelving in the reading rooms and emergency stacks set
in the middle of corridors have raised the capacity of the whole building
to 175,000 volumes.

The Problem

Catalogued books on campus... + + «+ + 285,000
Stock of Science Bulletins, Catalogues,

Duplicates .. . é* oe
Total to be shelved ee a ae 300 ,000
Shelving capacity of the Campus... . 222,000
Bock WP ck ee 78 ,000
Gtorace OOM « 6s Fae 50 000
Books unprovided for... +. ++ ++ es 28 ,000

Shelving Capacity

Watson Library

Stack (6 x 20,000) . ... +. « « 120,000

Room and corridor shelving... . 55,000

Bicies POOR sc es tes + + BO Bab
Deameee* capacity « «ts 47,900
Motel Gepeeity wt th 2/2,000
Total books on Campus ...-++.++-+5-s 300 ,009
Books without shelving ....-+++< +s 28 ,000
Annual increase in books .....+ +. 9,000

The surplus books are being handled in various ways:

1. Placed on temporary shelves in public corridors, exposed
to theft.

2. Turned down in stacks to enable more shelves to be place.
in case.

3. Placed in the sub-basement where: the books are dever.or:
ating from damp and mould.

4. Placed in cartons and stored in the attic and rendered
not available to the public.

5. Shelved in one of the staff toilet rooms.

6. All unnecessary dimlicntes heve been eliminatec.

No storage space is available elsewhere on the campus.
The Results

This overcrowding of the book collection produces the following
bad results:

1. As over 36,000 volumes are shelved out of their regular order, from the

sub-basement to the attic, the service to the public is slowing up each
year.

5