2019 Charleston Library Conference

J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is facing a challenge many other academic libraries have faced or are currently considering: how do we balance the demand for student spaces in the library while simultaneously running out of shelving space? Three UNC Charlotte librarians and a graduate student explore the current trends in the use of off-site and remote storage facilities by academic libraries. We will discuss the methods used to investigate the landscape of remote and offsite storage, including a literature review and a national survey. We will also share what we have learned from conducting user research with our community. A key goal of this study was to understand our user concerns and fears about the impact of moving a large percentage of collections out of the library. Our diverse and growing campus community of nearly 30,000 students and 3,000 faculty and staff relies on Atkins Library as a hub for research expertise, technology instruction, and a range of quiet and group study space. To understand campus perceptions of moving a percentage of collections offsite, as well as how to create ideal study space for students and faculty, we hosted a series of interactive UX design workshops with our key campus user groups involving students, faculty, community members, and library employees. In this session, we will share what we have learned from these assessments, and discuss how academic libraries across the nation have collaborated with faculty and the campus at large to solve this contentious problem.