Author: Keegan McChesney
The Academic Commons is currently phasing out books as part of a process to reduce outdated, underused print materials. The Academic Commons is developing a diverse collection and has revitalization plans to create new multifunctional work spaces that reflect the needs of an intellectual community in the digital age.
“We try to give the books as many chances to have a second life as possible,” librarian Bob Kieft said. “The print reduction process is difficult and controversial, but it is right for Oxy.”
A team was assembled to address future goals of the Academic Commons in the fall of 2011. The Academic Commons Task Force (ACTF) met a total of 13 times, compiled their findings into public documents and held an open town hall-style meeting. Three subgroups existed within the ACTF: one made plans for the new collection, a second focused on finding academic support services compatible with the Academic Commons and the third addressed designs for a remodel of the building.
The ACTF concluded that the Academic Commons needs to evolve in order to foster a better scholastic environment fit for to 21st century liberal arts learning. The ACTF filed a final report that outlined a variety of steps to fulfill this vision, some of which are now in the implementation phase.
For instance, the print redevelopment process is working to restructure how book and print material are utilized in the Academic Commons. This process began in 2011 after the ACTF outlined a comprehensive plan to reduce the number of print materials in the library.
“Our goal is to reshape the collection so that it speaks closely to current curricular offerings and the uses that people have made of it over the last several years,” Kieft said.
An ongoing systematic process determines which print materials will be removed from the Academic Commons. Books that meet the criteria for removal must have been in the collection prior to 2000, must never have been on course reserve and must have been checked out fewer than twice since the Oasis system started keeping data 22 years ago. This circulation criteria also includes Occidental borrowers, other library borrowers and “in-house” circulation; that is, books left on tables.
Academic journals go through a different review process that involves departmental faculty, according to Kieft.
About two-thirds of the Academic Commons monographic volumes fit the above criteria for removal, but not all of these materials will be removed. Special requests, teaching value and other factors are considered to keep certain print material in the library, even if those factors meet the criteria for removal. Eventually, the general print collection, including non-monographs such as bound journals, will be reduced by about 40 to 50 percent.
As of now, about 220,000 printed materials qualify for removal. However, the Academic Commons emphasizes its efforts to give the books a chance and notes that in comparison to other libraries, this criteria is very lenient. According to Kieft, most other print reduction projects require more circulation in fewer years and do not count “in-house” circulation.
The best way to ensure that a book will not leave the Academic Commons is to check it out and to fill out a “review slip,” which can be found at the main desk of the Academic Commons.
Books removed from the Academic Commons are distributed to new homes. Some are gifted to personal and departmental libraries upon request. Others are given to the UCLA library, which has a focus on historical print collections and is able to house more books. About 17,000 to 18,000 books labeled for removal will be donated to Better World Books, an online bookstore that sells books at a lower price and uses their earnings to promote global literacy and youth education.
A key purpose of the print reduction process is to free up more space for intellectual interactions. The amount of space freed up from the removal of old books will be revitalized to foster a variety of scholarly activities.
“The ACTF kept [President Veitch’s] vision of the Academic Commons as a space that ‘makes visible our commitment to a 21st Century liberal arts education’ at the forefront,” the final report states.
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