Seminar on preparing for and using a remote storage facility

Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands, The Hague, 18-19 November 2019

The session was for high-level staff in libraries that were in the process of storing (part of) their collections in a remote facility.

Chairman for the day: Dr Ulrich Niederer, formerly of the ZHB Luzern, and still actively involved in the Kooperative Speicherbibliothek Schweiz

Participants introduce themselves (14:00-14:30)

Introduction: Dr Niederer with a reflection on Why consider remote storage? (14:30-15:00)
Break (15:00-15:15)

Planning for it
1. Specifications for the building, climate control or not, etc. (15:15-16:00)
Introducing the topic: Foekje Boersma, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the National Library of the Netherlands slides, also raising the issue of passive climate control. In the seminar, she worked with the participants to survey types of storage currently in use, and planned for. The results of this small survey are available here.

2. Collaborative storage, potential partners, funding, agreements, etc. (16:00-16:45)
Introducing the topic: Hilde Van Kiel, KU Leuven Libraries slides, including a few words on the Heritage Lab, planned for thirteen Flemish heritage institutions.

3. Criteria for deciding what goes in and what doesn’t, special collections or not? (16:45-17:30)
Introducing the topic of selection criteria: Ophélie Ramonatxo, Bibliothèque nationale de France

Evening: Conference dinner at your own cost We will go to InStock, situated next to the prison in the small section of the medieval city wall that is still standing. The restaurant serves meals and drinks prepared from rescued food.

Chairman: Marian Lefferts, CERL

Moving to the remote storage (from 9:00-10:30)
4.Preparations for actual move
Introducing the topics of cataloguing, inventory, barcoding etc.: Michael Williams slides and Robin James, Cambridge University Library slides

Introducing the topics of preservation issues, shelfing plans and other preparations for the move (staff training? Issues around packing the collection? Choosing a moving firm?): Toby Kirtley, Bodleian Libraries

5. The actual move, contractors, unpacking the materials in the new storage area
Introducing the topic: Ulrich Niederer slides

Break from 10:30 to 11:00

Working with the remote storage in place (from 11:00-12:30)
6. Security issues, e.g. related to transport, drivers/vans, routes, disaster planning
Introducing the topic: Jacqueline Lambert, Royal Library, Brussels slides, will explore the 'what if' hazard analysis model often used in technical/ industrial engineering with the workshop participants

7. Workflows. Getting the items out of storage (and returning them there), and service to reading rooms (+ communicating about this to users)
Introducing the topic: Andy Appleyard, British Library slides

Conclusions, last questions, and farewells (12:30-13:00)

Lunch for seminar participants (13:00-14:00)

Costs: a small registration fee to cover the catering costs (Euro 25 for CERL members, and Euro 40 for non-members).