Library

We are identifying books that:

• Haven’t had a single hand touch them in 20+ years AND
• Are available in at least 50 other libraries worldwide or are committed to keep by a member library of Eastern Scholars Academic Trust (EAST), meaning that these materials are still accessible to our users even if they aren’t located physically at Brandeis.
• We are also looking at items in the Public Domain and available in HathiTrust, and held by more than 10 libraries

We’ve designed an agile process that allows us to keep any unique material we find in the general collection as we go. We will take into account discipline-specific criteria and items that: 

• Are in other distinctive collections such as Judaica or Brandeis Faculty Publications
• Are held by fewer than 50 other libraries worldwide

Before items are discarded, we prioritize availability to our community, asking:

• Do we have perpetual electronic access to this title (this is specifically for journals) making it easy for our patrons to obtain?
• Can the item be sent quickly through Interlibrary Loan?
• Is the item included in one of our formal collection agreements like EAST, which spans 100 colleges across 15 states?
• Is the item part of a special project, such as Footprints, coordinated by Columbia University?

To manage our collections throughout the three-year life of this project, the Brandeis Library has implemented Greenglass, a powerful tool leveraged by libraries across the country. Filtering and processing our collections through Greenglass allows us to:

• Explore and visualize the collection in the context of the collective collection
• Quickly model deselection and print management scenarios to ensure the best outcomes
• Generate custom reports and lists to support collection management and shared print activities

This first phase of the project was completed in July, 2022.

Preparing for Shifts

Undertaking a project as massive as this one requires ample amounts of flexible swing space, where we can hold materials that are still being processed and decided on. Our primary swing space for the project will be on Farber 4, which currently houses our collection of fine arts materials. During Phase 2, we will gradually cycle materials out of Farber 4 and to alternate locations (which will have the added benefit of protecting them from flood damage, given Farber 4's propensity for wetness). Farber 4 will then be used to stage materials during the course of the project, particularly our collection of microfilm cabinets, which will require individual and specialized processing.

Periodicals

During Phase 2, we will be conducting thorough review of the periodicals housed within the main Library facility, deselecting volumes that are redundant or available elsewhere, and preparing the remaining materials to be collected in one physical space within the Library, for easier discovery.

Communications

The work in this phase, particularly the shifting of large groups of materials, will occasionally cause disruption in the Library, but we will be sure to keep the community updated well ahead of any major work periods. Our goal is to prioritize usability and communication as we lay the groundwork for a successful rest of the project.

The Gerstenzang Science Library space has, in recent years, been used mainly as storage for physical science periodicals, monographs, microfilm, and other materials, many of which are outdated and underutilized. In order to return the space to Brandeis and allow it to be included in the larger Science Building renovation, the Library will spend this phase processing, deselecting, and shifting periodicals and monographs from “G-Zang” back into our main physical collection.

Goldfarb Mezzanine

The Brandeis Library’s invaluable collection of physical Judaica materials is currently scattered across multiple locations within the Library. The Strategic Collections Project will rectify this by pulling, sorting, and combining all Judaica materials into a dedicated collections space on Goldfarb Mezzanine, sorted A-Z for easy discovery. All non-Judaica materials will be removed from the Mezzanine, processed in Greenglass, and interfiled back into general collections.

Goldfarb Level 3

Processing and sorting efforts in this phase will also be spent on Goldfarb Level 3, which currently houses the largest chunk of our collections. We will review all physical collections in the space, ensuring their relevance and ease of access, and interfile materials moved out of the Mezzanine during the Judaica overhaul.

Goldfarb Level 1 & Level 2

In the final phase of the project, we will move to Goldfarb Levels 1 and 2, reviewing all remaining collections and ensuring relevance and ease of access. The goal will be to create as much usable seating and collaboration space on Goldfarb 1 as possible.

Final Shift

Once all other work is complete, we will finalize our new collection and make it as browsable and discoverable as possible. By the end of the project, the Goldfarb Library will feature dedicated collections spaces for reference, periodicals, Judaica and oversized materials, and a general collection sorted A-Z throughout the building, to complement our robust digital and consortial access to any materials needed by our community members.

This group establishes the long- and short-term strategies that shape this project. They also determine the criteria for all decision making, and manage communication and messaging to the broader community.

• Matthew Sheehy, University Librarian
• Mark Paris, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources & Discovery
• Alexis Scanzani, Manager of Acquisitions & Discovery
• Aimee Slater, Government Information & Social Sciences Librarian
• David Katz, Faculty Representative
• Pu Wang, Faculty Representative
• Laura Hibbler, Associate University Library for Research and Instruction
• Mary Calo, Manager of Public Services

This group enacts data analysis best practices during the life of the project, configures and implements the Greenglass software, and establishes our guidelines for deselection of materials.

• Mark Paris, Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources & Discovery
• Alexis Scanzani, Manager of Acquisitions & Discovery
• Maric Kramer, Social Sciences Librarian
• Liz Bodian, Metadata Technologies Librarian
• Chris Underwood, Library Applications Developer

This group is responsible for establishing workflows for review, managing the withdrawal and discarding processes, and handling division of labor and resource allocations.

• Alexis Scanzani, Manager of Acquisitions & Discovery
• Mary Calo, Public Services Coordinator
• Lou Hartman, Metadata Coordinator
• Maureen Reynolds, Public Services Late Night Coordinator

The current state of the Library’s physical collections is unsustainable. It is our responsibility to make sure that our collections best suit the needs of Brandeis’ research and educational mission, and doing so means that we need a better and more robust approach to determining which physical materials are necessary and relevant at all times. Additionally, we will lose the space that we occupy in the old Gerstenzang Science Library, and building new space is not an option.

In addition to the lack of funding for the space, there are the practical issues of staffing and ongoing maintenance costs. It’s not as simple as simply raising money. While money can be raised fairly easily for one time costs (though we have to ensure alignment with University priorities and that is a different issue altogether), there are implications for ongoing expenses that we cannot cover without a major shift in how we’re spending money.

Though it may sound counterintuitive, removing materials from the library collection is essential to responsible maintenance of the library collections, and librarians use the same professional judgment that we apply to build the collection to identify what we can remove. We’re committed to making sure that access to all relevant materials is maintained, whether in physical or digital form, and we will make sure that no truly unique collections are lost in this process.

Our approach in this project is prioritizing the preservation of access in one form or another. We have started with the elimination of secondary copies, meaning absolutely no loss of access. 

We are leveraging our shared collections partners, namely EAST and HathiTrust. No library can have it all, so we form these partnerships to strategize around collections and build in quick access to materials with partner institutions (basically a distributed library). 

InterLibraryLoan (ILL) has come a long way from what it was. The technology and people behind the services at Brandeis and our many partner institutions have become really good at turning things around quickly. Digital materials are frequently here within 48 hours and even physical items can be quickly received. The only exceptions here can be rarely held items, but that isn’t a factor here because we will not de-select rarely held materials.

We will not get rid of anything that has artifactual value. We’re actively looking for materials that contain special markings such as the materials we received through Jewish Cultural Reconstruction. We are aware of the artifactual value of materials from certain high-value, historical publishers.

We will not de-select anything that has been used over the last 23 years.

As our uninterrupted document delivery services during the pandemic helped confirm, we have the ability and dedication to make materials available to all who need them, even if a physical book is not present. Utilizing Greenglass during this project means that we can run up-to-the-moment analysis of which collections are available in what formats, and through which of our consortial partners. We are confident that we can find just about anything you may need in the course of your research, and that the physical materials we keep will be more discoverable and relevant than ever before. And as stated above our shared collection partners and our ILL team will be able to locate any materials you may need in future resource that is not housed at the Brandeis Library.

We’d love to hear them! Please feel free to direct any questions, comments or concerns to our project leads, at librarycollectionproject-group@brandeis.edu.