by Hee Jung Lee on 2021-09-30T00:00:00-04:00 | 0 Comments
LIBRARY NEWSLETTER
Special Edition
Issue 5 ‖ September, 2021
Dear Readers,
I hope this first issue of fall finds you well after summer, as the staff at the MFA are returning fully on-site. The library spent a quiet, yet busy, summer, having completed the initial phase of the collection review, which removed multiple copies and underused or digitally available serials.
In the meantime, as the Library’s relocation plans are being articulated, the staff are setting new priorities and making plans to meet the new needs accordingly. Just in time for the reopening of the local campuses, the library welcomed more staff to assist these special endeavors and I have been blown away by their eagerness and fresh energy. With appropriate help in place, the library staff continue preparing the collection to be dispersed between the on-site locations and off-site storage.
Next few months will be busy, as we begin ourfinal preparation for the move. Nonetheless, it is an exciting time for the library as it plans its transition back to the Museum!
Sincerely,
Hee Jung Lee,
Head Librarian and Library Staff
WEEDING PROGRESS
As of September 29th, 967 linear feet of items were removed from the Main Library collection. This includes 1,092 serial titles and 3,194 copies of duplicates. The library staff continues to review, search, pull, and remove materials so that the library collection is streamlined in preparation for the move.
LIBRARY NEWS
NEW INITIATIVE
The relocation of the library is not only the moving of the staff to the main campus but also sending a large portion of the Main Library’s circulating collection to off-site storage. On the one hand, we are taking most of our pamphlet collections and auction catalogs to the Museum, close to the MFA users, as these items tend to be time-sensitive and most effectively used when browsing. On the other hand, monographs and serials will be sent off-site for retrieval. This hybrid storage model, combining on-site collection and services and off-site collection, is a big shift for our future library services.
In order to facilitate users find what they are looking for in the off-site storage, we are currently conducting an inventory survey by creating item-level records to help locate items. These are achieved by applying barcodes on the physical items that were previously not individually cataloged. By doing so, we will increase the accessibility of items in the off-site locations.
NEW FACES
The library welcomed two more new library assistants to work with us for our collection analysis and inventory project. Emily Murphy graduated Simmons University with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. No stranger to the MFA, they worked in the MFA’s membership department prior to attending Simmons College. While at Simmons, they worked in the Boston Architectural College and gained a deep understanding of library services and management.
Kai McGinn is a recent graduate of Bryn Mawr College. She has worked in her alma mater library, where she worked in the circulation department to provide front-line services to its users. Her experience in curatorial work and at the Metropolitan Museum Library as the collections development intern also enabled her to form a solid background in the museum library, and kindled her interest in a library career. Both Emily and Kai will assist us in our various relocation endeavors, and join the rest of the library staff to create our new and exciting future with our return to the Museum.
SERVICE UPDATE
As the move date approaches, the library will no longer offer research hours.
We are also pausing book acquisitions and book requests to limit the activity of the collection before sending them to off-site storage.
We look forward to resuming our normal service when we reopen in our new location in the Museum.
0 Comments.