library public access areas with compact mobile shelving

Compact Mobile Shelving Helps University Library Plan for the Future

When a historic South Carolina university recently built a new library, it was with an eye toward the future and a plan to maximize growth of the collections without having to increase the size of the new building. One of the main things that allowed the library to increase their storage capacity without adding any square footage was the Compact Mobile Shelving. The Compact Mobile Shelving was included because the old library had run out of space several years before and the library wanted to incorporate a solution in the planning and building phases that would anticipate any future space problems.

compact mobile shelving for university libraries

Compact Mobile Shelving for Public Access Areas and Vault Storage

The library houses over 500,000 volumes, with about a third of the collection stored in Compact Mobile Shelving, which has the potential to store a million volumes. In the public space on the second floor, bound journals are kept in three banks of Compact Mobile Shelving. Because people will be accessing the journals more frequently, the library chose powered Compact Mobile Shelving with passive infrared aisle monitoring safety features.

The library’s general book collection is housed in a combination of Compact Mobile Shelving and stationary cantilever shelving. Also, two non-public vaults on the third floor for archives that include rare books and manuscripts also have Compact Mobile Shelving. The Compact Mobile Shelving was used to maximize every inch of the floor space in the expensive vault area.

compact mobile shelving storing university library archives

Compact Mobile Shelving Makes Room for More Than Just Books

Overall the use of the Compact Mobile Shelving helped maximize the footprint of the university’s library. The architect estimated that the Compact Mobile Shelving, not counting the expansion capacity, saved 4,000 square feet. This translates to a fair amount savings and the library now has the potential to increase their collection storage without adding to the building. Another benefit of using Compact Mobile Shelving in the planning and building phase to house the book collections was that there was now space for an atrium, a variety of study areas, computer meeting rooms, a café, and tutoring facilities.

shopping cart iconLibrary Shelving, Tables, Racks, and Carts

See specifications and pricing for library shelving, art racks, bookcases.  Various options for wall mounted shelving for books may include a wall mounted shelf, floating bookshelf, hanging bookshelf, open shelf.

Contact Us for Compact Mobile Shelving for Your University’s Library

Southwest Solutions Group® provides design and installation assistance for Compact Mobile Shelving to help university libraries increase their storage capacity in less floor space. Contact us by phone at 1-800-803-1083 or send us a message to speak with the representative in your area.

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