It's Not Over Until the Last Book is on the Shelf

By Gary Hall

It started with an idea. You obtained the support of your board and your patrons. You lobbied, raised funds, and exhausted every possible option. You selected an architect, the designs were drawn, and the budgets set. You selected a construction manager and contracts were let, bids were evaluated and construction contracts signed, permits were filed and schedules determined, the walls went up, fixtures were hung and shelving installed. You attended an endless stream of construction meetings and answered a myriad of daily questions about the project. You fought tooth and nail to get everything you could for your new library. But the project isn't complete until the last book is put on the shelf.

When does the transition/relocation process begin? It should start long before a shovel is put in the ground. And if not, it should at least be considered at the time budgets are created. The move is one of the last sizable costs for your construction or renovation project. You don't want to have to reduce your furniture and equipment budgets to afford to move into your new facility or worse, have to move everything yourselves.

A Transition/Relocation Team should be created while you are discussing the construction requirements of the project. A transition team serves many purposes. They evaluate your patron service needs during the renovation and construction process, they help determine the requirements for a temporary site or sites if the existing facility has to be raised or abandoned, they relate information to patrons and staff during the project.

The team can help evaluate proposed new equipment, furniture and shelving components as well as the vendors who provide them. The transition team establishes the relocation requirements of the project, determining whether the library needs to have several phased moves during the project or will occupy a temporary site. They will raise questions such as: will collections need to be stored, is access needed to all collections, what programs need to be provided, and what are your customers' needs?

The transition team can be made up of administrative staff, board members, and facilities personnel and should include a professional library mover or relocation consultant. The size and make up of the transition team is dependent on the various tasks you want them to undertake. If a Relocation Consultant is being considered you can look to the various professional library relocation companies that offer that service. The vast experience we at American have as library-moving specialists can be useful in anticipating some of the issues that can arise miles before the move takes place. The team oversees the three phases of the moving process, Planning, Scheduling and the Logistics of the move.

Planning the various facets of the relocation process can be rife with pitfalls. While aiding the Team in the planning phase we subscribe to O'Toole's Rule and that rule is Murphy was an optimist. During your original project evaluation you anticipate construction schedules so that shelving, furniture and equipment can be purchased and delivered on time. If schedules are too early, the manufacturers may attempt delivery prior to construction of your new facility being substantially completed. This could mean incurring additional expenses for storage or other delay costs. Your team can help plan the ordering of shelving and furniture to correspond to the eventual delays in the proposed construction schedule. At best, moving dates cannot be determined until a month prior to completion of construction. Having a professional mover on board your team can help anticipate delays in that schedule.

Books are still the basic ingredient in a library. Have your team make sure there is enough shelf space included in your library design for existing collections as well as growth. Having a library mover on your team can help aid in evaluating the space allocated in the new facility. Helping plot the collection flow and shelf fill ratios is another value a professional library relocation company can bring to your team.

Scheduling of the move along with the various other vendors who require access to the completed facility can be a daunting endeavor. Having vendors vying for entranceways and elevators at the end of a project is like watching the sand in an hourglass. You can call upon the experience of your library mover to help create a coordinated schedule.

Suggestions such as scheduling dedications and grand openings after a soft opening when construction is completed is another decision that can be decided with your team. The experience that a professional library mover has in moving collections and installing shelving systems can be invaluable in determining the time necessary to move your library. As a member of your team they can evaluate your ability to provide continued limited patron services during the move.

As similar as some projects seem, each has its own unique requirements and each demands its own logistical techniques that need to be employed to resolve those varied circumstances. Egress limitations may require that an outside elevator be employed to expedite the flow of collection materials from one location to another. Interior mezzanines or multi-tier shelving systems that have no elevator access present their own challenges. Parking and building operations can impact access times.

Integration or purges of collection items may have to be incorporated in the relocation process. Main branches in regional library systems usually require that IT and financial services move at specific times to avoid downtime at the other branch facilities. As a professional library relocation company we at American have encountered many of these circumstances and some even more unique. For example, having to construct interior walls to create office space because the partition system included in the move wouldn't meet fire codes in the temporary facility, or consolidating the seven libraries of a University in to three libraries and placing the remainder in an off site facility, or re-shelving during a move while changing the sequential order from the Dewey system to the Library of Congress classification system. Each had their unique requirements requiring various logistical techniques to complete the task. Having a professional library mover on your team can help you develop the logistics necessary to make your move efficient and successful.

Your project started with an idea but it's not finished until the last book is placed on the shelf. By creating a Transition Team and including a professional library mover on that team you can make the end of the project as rewarding as the idea itself.

American Interfile & Library Services, Inc., a national library services company, specializes in the transition/relocation phases associated with library renovation and construction. www.americaninterfile.com