THE MANAGEMENT OF SHELF SPACE

A recurrent problem in library administration is that libraries do not expand evenly. In a small library (of, say, less than 100,000 volumes) the daily reports of staff responsible for shelving are probably sufficient to inform the librarian of the progress of expansion. Such reports are valuable in all libraries; but in larger libraries it is difficult to obtain from these reports alone a clear view of the general pattern of shelf occupancy. The larger the library, the more important it becomes to assess ad hoc reports on tactical shelving difficulties in the context of a broader strategy. To this end many libraries prepare annually systematic tabulations of available capacity and occupied shelf space. This paper suggests a way in which information gathered for this purpose may be exploited to greater advantage.