It's been many years since someone has checked out the volume "Greek Poetry for Everyman" from the Yale Library.

Likewise, such old or outdated books as "The Story of Scotland in Stone," "Great Southern Mansions" and "Modern Perspectives on the Psychiatry of Old Age" have been used infrequently by students, faculty members and scholars.

But every so often, someone will come along in search of these works, and may even consider them vital to their research.

Thus, these books are considered to be valuable volumes that require -- like any treasure in the University's libraries or collections -- excellent care.

At Yale's new off-campus Library Shelving Facility (LSF), they get just that.

In fact, thanks to the start-of-the-art facility, these books will be available to any library patron who wishes to consult them for the next two centuries or more.

The LSF, completed just under a year ago, serves as the new home for some 150,000 books, archival material, videos, microforms and other items from the Yale Library system that have a low level of use, are duplicates of materials in the campus library system, or are old or in poor condition. Another 100,000 items will be transported to the facility by the end of the year.

Located at 147 Leeder Hill Drive in Hamden, the LSF was built to help remedy the problem of overcrowding in all of Yale's on-campus libraries, which house more than 10 million bound volumes as well as special collections, including maps, manuscripts, artworks, sound recordings, ancient clay tablets, music scores and other artifacts and research materials. Many of those collections are filled beyond capacity, according to Danuta Nitecki, associate University librarian.

"In addition to easing the problem of overcrowding, the LSF has helped us in the challenging task of preserving our world-class collections," Nitecki says. "Overcrowding is damaging to the books that remain in our campus facilities. So we are helping to protect those materials by filtering out some of the less-used materials. At the same time, the efficient use of space in the LSF -- as well as its optimal environment in terms of temperature and humidity -- will preserve the printed materials that are stored there for at least another 250 years."

The facility includes an 8,000-square-foot area where incoming materials are processed before being shelved as well as a 13,800-square-foot shelving module that reaches 30 feet high and can hold 2.3 million volumes. State-of-the-art technology allows the module to maintain a constant 50-degree temperature and a 30 percent humidity level -- the ideal conditions for preserving printed materials, Nitecki says. A filtering system also keeps the facility as dirt- and dust-free as possible.

Unlike the campus libraries, the LSF is not a place where patrons come to browse the shelves or conduct research. In fact, contrary to standard library organization, the books there are not arranged according to genre and authors' names.

"Here, materials are arranged by size to make the most efficient use of space," explains Mike DiMassa, LSF manager. "In a regular library, tall and short books are placed side by side and a lot of space remains unused on shelves. With the system of arranging materials by size, you don't see that wasted space in the LSF."

The selection of books and other materials for storage at the LSF is an ongoing process that involves those who are most familiar with the research needs of the Yale community -- library staff responsible for collections (otherwise known as "subject specialists"), curators and members of the faculty, among others. They have pored over the collections in all of the campus libraries to determine which materials are used infrequently or would benefit from LSF storage due to their condition or age. Very rare materials are not stored in the LSF, Nitecki notes.

After they arrive on LSF's two large loading docks, books from campus libraries are taken to a cleaning area, where their covers and edges are dusted with a state-of-the-art vacuuming system. Then, in the processing area, books are given an Orbis barcode number on their covers (if they don't already have one). That barcode becomes the sole identifier of the book at the LSF, says DiMassa.

"Once the book comes in here, its subject or title is no longer relevant," says the LSF manager. "It becomes known only by its barcode."

Books and other materials are then placed, according to their size, in acid-free trays or boxes. Using special software, LSF staff then scan the barcode on the tray and every item in the tray twice -- each time by a different person -- to verify each of the items in the tray and the code on the tray. In addition, the coding also identifies where the tray will be located in the LSF, including the shelf, aisle and the side of the aisle (left or right).

"This double-checking system with sophisticated software prevents any errors," explains DiMassa. "Here, if something were to be put in a place other than where the coding identifies it to be, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. So we can't allow that to happen. The system here really makes it near-impossible for anything to get lost."

The identification system also makes it very easy to retrieve items from the LSF when someone requests them at an on-campus library. All items stored at the LSF are catalogued on Orbis, the University's online catalog. To request an LSF item, a library patron simply has to submit an "Eli Express" request at any circulation desk, or can use an online request form. Requested items are retrieved twice daily and will be delivered to a campus location for pick-up within one working day.

LSF staff retrieve the items from the shelves at the facility using a "order picker," a forklift which allows them to reach the highest shelves. To confirm they have the right book or item, they use a handheld barcode scanner. To date, DiMassa and the six other LSF employees have retrieved 4,422 items for use by library patrons.

Periodically, a particular item has been requested frequently enough that library staff make a decision to return it to a campus library shelf.

"When we decide to store books at the LSF, that decision is not necessarily final," says Nitecki. "Obviously, if we've stored something there that later becomes popular with our patrons, it should be located on campus, and our system makes it easy to return them there."

Each year, library staff expect move 250,000 items to the LSF. Once the first LSF module nears capacity, another one will be built on the seven-acre LSF site.

"We have room here to accommodate five more modules of the same size as the first one," says Nitecki. "So we will be moving books there for many years to come."

The new facility, she adds, will eventually make it possible for Yale's campus libraries to near their ideal capacities.

"We are now working toward getting the stacks at the Sterling Memorial Library to a 95 percent capacity. Ideally, 85 percent capacity is the rule of thumb. Over time, as we increase the storage space here, we'll really have made toward that goal. It allows us the space to acquire new books and do a much better job of preserving the ones we have. It was a critical and far-sighted move for Yale to build the LSF, and it's one that will benefit generations of library patrons to come."

Members of the Yale faculty and other interested individuals are invited to tour the LSF on Thursday, Oct. 7, 3-4 p.m. For information or to register for the tour, call 432-1818. For more information on the LSF, visit the facility's website at www.library.yale.edu/Administration/Shelving/ocs.html.

-- By Susan Gonzalez

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