By Cole Caviston, Staff Writer
Last April, thousands of books from Dimond Library were dumped into dumpsters, causing a campus-wide uproar.
The Dimond Library has begun the process of shifting books and integrating bound journals in the main stacks of the library for this summer.
This maintenance project of the library’s collection is being undertaken to ensure that its stacks are in compliance with the fire code.
In an email from Tracey Lauder, the assistant dean for library administration, and Jennifer Carroll, the collection management librarian, the removal and storage of bound journals would be “an important part of meeting library user demand for online access and making room for new materials and additional study space/seating.”
“We are in the midst of a specific project to realign the collection in Dimond Library to make resources accessible,” Lauder said. “Librarians continually strive to improve library services and spaces by reviewing the availability of resources needed for teaching, learning and research.”
The project officially began Wednesday, Feb. 11 and is estimated to be completed by Aug. 1.
The project was allowed to proceed forward when funding was available for the purchasing of online back files for bound journals over a year ago.
The removal and storing of the bound journals will take an estimated six weeks to finish. The bound journals that UNH owns that have perpetual electronic access will be removed from the collection and given to UNH faculty and then to other groups.
Groups that will receive the bound journals include Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), an environmental group, and Rolling Thunder, a veteran advocacy organization.
Locating volumes can be made through the online catalog, which is being continually updated to reflect any changes.
Bound volumes without such access will be made available from the library’s on-campus storage building. As the moving process is underway, access to the library stacks will be limited for safety precautions.
The next phase of the project will involve the measuring and classification of materials in inventory. This will be followed by the removal of bound journals from Dimond and its branch libraries to prepare for the collection shift that will take the day after commencement and continue through the summer.
Throughout each of these phases, Lauder assures, communication with library users will be persistent and that none of the books or journals are being permanently replaced.
“No books will be removed and bound journals are being replaced with perpetual online access,” Lauder said.
Lauder also states that the steps in operation will be open to the UNH community. Almost a year after the scandal involving the dumping of thousands of library books, the recognition for transparency is apparent.
“We will communicate steps as they are developed, gather feedback and continue to do our best to support the teaching, learning and research needs of our community,” Lauder said.
According to Lauder, the essence of “librarianship” is providing access to collections of resources that can be used to assist researchers, students and community members, particularly in the modern era when that information is available in multiple forms.
“Librarianship has always been about providing access to information,” Lauder said. “Our role is to provide as much information as possible with the resources (funds and space) available.”
