Patricia,

We have a vertical file that is huge.  Over 13,000
items in it.  It is all organized by LC subject
classification.  Our normal guideline is that anything
under 50 pages or items that can't stand up even over
50 pages (nothing with a stiff binding) we put in the
file.  It can be a hassel for a subject area like
Medicare (we are a health services research institute)
but then we organize everything by date of publication
if a subject area gets to large.  We Velo-bind
anything over 50 pages and that is why we can stick it
on the shelf.  We get some things that are one page
and we could never put them on the shelf.  So the VF
works well for us.  People don't seem to have a
problem pulling anything.  Shelving isn't that big of
a problem as long as it is done by someone more
experienced.

If we get something that is 25 pages but has a nice
hard cover or a very stiff spine we will catalog that
with the books.  So it is up to the cataloger but we
go with the 50 page guideline.

Hope this helps,

Julie Esparza
julieesparza@yahoo.com

Work is

Julie Esparza
jesparza@ecri.org
Electronic Services Librarian
ECRI - a non-profit health services institute
5200 Butler Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
http://www.ecri.org

--- Patricia Fazio <PFazio@CAMDENCC.EDU> wrote:
> A few months ago there was a discussion on this list
> about where people file maps.  Some people said
> that they put them in their pamphlet file or
> vertical file.  Our library recently discontinued
> our vertical file, but we have found over the
> intervening months that there are items we receive
> that are too small to stand on regular bookshelves.
> We are considering reopening our vertical file, but
> with modifications (a nod to documents on
> the Web).  My question is: what are other libraries
> doing with their vertical collections?  Keeping them?
> Rewriting their policies?
>
> Any comments appreciated.
>
> Patricia Fazio
> Collection Development Librarian
> Camden County College
> Blackwood, NJ 08012
>
> pfazio@camdencc.edu