Operating and Service Principles

Operating and Service Principles

The Library Shelving Facility (LSF) is designed to shelve less frequently used library materials economically and to extend significantly the useful life of such materials for the Yale University Library (YUL) System and its readers while at the same time improving the browsability of collections on campus. Sending libraries will retain control of their materials and their circulation parameters, and access to these materials will be provided for readers through daily retrieval and delivery to on-campus service sites.

Certain operating and service principles govern the use of the facility by the libraries at Yale; use by other Yale units is negotiable and subject to conditions specified by the Library. The facility is not designed for the storage of non-library materials.

Collection Management:

• LSF will be used by all library units

• Infrequently-used materials will be shelved at LSF

• All formats and media will be accommodated

• Responsibility for the physical item resides with LSF while that item is in its care

• Material will be shelved according to size and without regard to sending unit or call number

• Items sent to LSF will be appropriately represented in Orbis

• Change or transfer of ownership of material at LSF will follow established collection management practices

Preservation Environment:

• The environment will be maintained at 50° fahrenheit and 30% relative humidity, which will extend the life of print materials by 275 years

• Material will be thoroughly cleaned at the facility before processing

• LSF will wrap items that pose risks to the maintenance of the facility's environment; appropriate additional preservation treatment should be done by the sending library in accordance with established preservation standards

• Upon occasion the LSF will exercise its right to return any item whose physical condition poses a threat to the environment or material shelved there

• Access to shelving areas is limited to facility staff

• Measures to safeguard the collection from theft, fire, water, UV light, and other damage will be strictly maintained

Circulation:

All materials shelved at LSF are retrievable upon reader request, although in the case of some special collection material these requests may be mediated by Library staff.  The service commitment observed by LCS staff is to retrieve and deliver items requested by readers to library service sites within one working day, Monday through Friday.  The LSF places no limits to the number of requests a patron may place for material shelved off-campus.

• Requests will not be limited to any number, but special arrangements, including the provision of holding shelves at the requesting library, may be needed for bulk deliveries

• Delivery services will follow the Eli Express model

• Owning libraries will set circulation parameters for their LSF material

• There will be at least two possible circulation status designations to indicate which materials may be retrieved to any library service unit and which may be returned only to their owning library

• Items with circulation restrictions may be redirected to other library service sites provided there is agreement between the owning and receiving library

• LSF material will be charged in Orbis when collected by the requesting patron to assure accountability

• Advance special arrangements will be necessary to use material at the facility under exceptional circumstances
• Material will not circulate directly to readers from the facility

Management:

• The facility will be managed as a part of the Yale University Library System LSF is a high-volume efficiency shelving operation managed in a way that will deliver timely, reliable and equitable service for the Yale University Libraries and its readers

• Although Orbis may be available at LSF as a management tool, bibliographic control of materials sent will be the responsibility of the owning library, not LSF

• Selection for LSF will be an on-going responsibility of collection management staff in the YUL

• To maintain operational efficiencies weeding should take place prior to sending material to LSF

• Transfer of materials will be paced to maintain an operationally suitable volume and flow for processing staff. LSF will establish and periodically review schedule for transfer of materials to it

• LSF will furnish management reports to the Library to assist in planning and collection management

• An operational advisory group will be established to work cooperatively with the facility director to ensure efficient operation, effective communication, and reliable service

• The facility will operate on a Monday through Friday schedule
• The facility and its services, as designed, are available to library units that are part of the YUL. In extraordinary situations, other uses of the facility (e.g.. for swing space during renovation or construction) may be negotiated, but will require payment of associated added costs. Cost center libraries within the YUL wishing to use the LSF space or services at levels higher than non-cost center libraries may do so but on terms negotiated with the YUL.  Yale libraries not affiliated with the YUL are welcome to purchase shelving space and services from the LSF on a cost-recovery basis.