The University of Texas System and Texas A&M University systems have officially inaugurated a Joint Library Facility at Texas A&M's Riverside Campus.
The $6.3 million, 18,000-square-foot library facility will feature around 1 million books that have been picked up from the general and reference holdings of the state's finest universities and will be open for use by other academic or medical institutions.
The facility will preserve print books and journals by employing high density shelving, while reducing the man power and costs of print storage at individual campuses.
"We are delighted to participate in this innovative venture with Texas A&M," said Bill Powers, president of the University of Texas at Austin, in a press release. "As the state's flagship research institutions, our library holdings help address today's needs while providing a foundation for Texans of tomorrow. The joint library storage facility will provide for the preservation of this vital cultural record, while ensuring that the books and documents remain available for study and research for students and scholars."
A 2010 study revealed that the expenditure incurred for protecting a single volume in an open library stacks facility is $4.26 per year, which also includes workers, lighting, maintenance and heating and cooling costs. Due to the state-of-art provisions incorporated at the new facility, the costs will now be drastically reduced to 86 cents per volume, which represents a savings of $3.40 per volume.
"As we rely increasingly on digital technologies for access to information, this facility allows us to protect the vital legacy of print materials and provide timely access to the originals," said David Carlson, dean of Texas A&M University Libraries.
Both the systems are also looking to implement a procedure that involves sharing a single copy of identical holdings and eliminating redundancy in the new facility.
