If you have standardized shelves, you can count the number of full shelves and multiply that by the length of the shelf. At least for the long runs.

Facing an upcoming renovation and large withdrawal project, we measured our periodical shelves last year. One problem was that this library never made individual item records for each bound volume, so we couldn't just run reports out of the system and make estimates that way. Nor were detailed holdings kept; an incomplete run would often just say Incomplete in the record. The Shelf Survey required a hands-on approach.

Our bound periodical shelves are either 32" or 36" long. The Periodicals Coordinator and student workers counted full shelves using a tape measure to check which size the bank of shelves was. They then used a tape measure to measure the "overflow", or number of inches the beginning and/or end of the periodical run took. On an Excel spreadsheet, they entered the number of shelves per 32" or 36" plus overflow inches.  They also measured overlarge periodical heights and counted the number of volumes. They took a laptop on a cart with them into the periodical stacks so they could enter measurements directly, instead of writing them down and entering them later.

In this spreadsheet we had a column to figure the total number of linear inches of shelf space. Hypothetically assuming Column X has the number of 32 inch shelves and Column Y has the number of 36 inch shelves, the formula is: (X*32)+(Y*36)+Overflow. Then that formula column totaled at the bottom of the spreadsheet and divided by 12" to come up with total linear feet.

Yes, this method includes actual shelf sides and not just the space the periodicals take up. I figured if anybody objected we could change the calculating formula to X*31 + Y*35+Overflow, or whatever the desirable estimate was.

The Shelf Survey was an arduous task but it helped when we were putting together proposals for backfile purchases, first to identify long runs and look for backfiles, then have figures on hand. For example I could say "For $2,000 we could save 70 linear feet on this particular long-run title." In retrospect it probably would have been better to handle this project with a database rather than an Excel spreadsheet, particularly for the data entry portion of the task, but my database skills aren't the greatest. Your mileage may vary.

Hope this helps,

Diane Westerfield, Electronic Resources & Serials Librarian
Tutt Library, Colorado College
diane.westerfield@coloradocollege.edu
(719) 389-6661
(719) 389-6082 (fax)

-----Original Message-----
From: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum [mailto:SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG] On Behalf Of Gordon Coleman
Sent: Wednesday, August 05, 2015 2:31 PM
To: SERIALST@LISTSERV.NASIG.ORG
Subject: [SERIALST] Average width of a year of a journal?

Hi all.

My library is doing a serials discarding project. We'll be tossing out lengthy print runs of a number of journals. (Yes yes, we've got online versions, with perpetual access rights, plus backup print copies at a partner library in a shared archival network.)

The question I've been asked is: how many feet of shelf space will we save?

When the discarding is being carried out, we can take an exact measurement, but I'd like a way to estimate now. Does the serials world have a standard figure for the width of an average journal in a year? For example, if the average journal takes up 3" of shelf space per year, I can multiple it by the total number of journal-years being discarded and get an estimate.

Thanks in advance for any data/guesses you have re this question.

Gordon

Gordon Coleman
Head, Acquisitions & Serials
Simon Fraser University Library
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
gcoleman@sfu.ca
778-782-3916

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