Abstract:
“Labyrinth Libraries: The Care and Storage of Fictional Books”: My paper discusses several novels portraying labyrinth libraries, including The Name of the Rose, The Shadow of the Wind, The City of Dreaming Books, and Automated Alice. By making the library a labyrinth, the authors eschew standard library organization to create a space in which books are protected from users and inaccessible without the aid of a librarian. These fictional works allows us to explore the contradiction of access versus preservation and the role of the librarian in balancing the two. Labyrinths are inherently difficult to navigate, making it so the characters must learn or create a navigational system in order to access the books. Labyrinth libraries also depict the ways in which space affects the user experience, library organization, and navigation of the library. Each author carefully constructs a labyrinth to fit the needs of the library he creates. The physical aspects of the library influence the organizational system, which in turn influences the navigation of the library.; “Impacts of CSU Libraries of the Future Taskforce”: Library space, collection care, and the libraries of the future will have a significant impact on rare book collecting, preservation, and access of print collections. The California State University system is a good example of new pressures to eliminate traditional circulating collections through massive weeding projects to increase library space for student commons, writings centers, and technology centers. In this presentation, I will present the difficulties that all special collection libraries will face specifically in the CSU system in the light of the CSU Libraries of the Future (LOFT) Taskforce and address how massive weeding and demand for new space will impact special collection staff workload, collection care practices, print collection development, and space allocation in special collection departments across the system.; “Retrofitting the Special Collections Space: Using Values, Trends, and Needs to Inform Physical Design”: Currently a small reading room that also serves as the director’s office, a classroom, event space, display space, and even an occasional warm-up room for musicians, the Special Collections department at Pepperdine is planning a renovation and is dreaming big. But as a small department with a modest budget, how do we re-envision and prioritize our space? In order to make the most of this opportunity, we are thinking about our values and considering time-honored tradition as well as current and future trends and needs. Inspired by this year’s theme, some of the questions we will address in this presentation include: What were the values and priorities that defined the way special collections space was designed and used in the 1960s? Have these values changed? How should our current priorities, technological trends, and user needs be reflected in our new spaces?
Description:
Moderator: Emily Dunlay; “Labyrinth Libraries: The Care and Storage of Fictional Books”, Cassie Brand, Drew University; “Impacts of CSU Libraries of the Future Taskforce”, Danelle Moon, San Jose State University; “Retrofitting the Special Collections Space: Using Values, Trends, and Needs to Inform Physical Design”, Melissa Nykanen, Pepperdine University, and Mark Roosa, Pepperdine University