Serials “derelegation” from remote storage

Abstract

The quality of library selectors’ initial decisions about which titles to relegate to storage will determine how convenient patrons are going to find the arrangement. Some of these decisions will inevitably need to be reversed over time, as research interests evolve and mistakes come to light. If patrons request storage items frequently, circulation records can identify these items for possible return transfer. Monographs can usually be restored easily, but serials pose harder questions, since back runs take up so much space on the home shelves. At the University of Florida, each request for a stored serial volume is compared to previous requests from the same title. Examining clusters of years retrieved over time provides an opportunity to “derelegate” portions of a back run, rather than the entire mass, to the active collection. Such a transfer saves shelf space, and responds directly to users’ demonstrated needs.