Illustration by Ariel Davis 

While some archivists do their best to make do with impromptu work spaces, other archivists and allies are lucky enough to face the challenges and excitement of an archival space renovation or move. One common sentiment that seems almost universal among archivists is a need for more space. 

Physical archival collections need a homebase when not in use by researchers, and archivists need space to spread out and arrange collections; not to mention space for new accessions. How do archivists balance their archival repository realities and dreams with a change of space on the horizon? Special collections and archival departments at California State University, Northridge, Pepperdine University, and the Autry Museum of the American West all recently experienced renovations or moves, and were generous enough to share insight into the experience.

I. Renovating Current Space

Special Collections & Archives (SC/A) at California State University, Northridge is comprised of five collecting areas established independently from the 1970s to 1990s. Prior to the 2015-2016 renovations of SC/A, staff from the Urban Archives, International Guitar Research Archives, Old China Hands Archives, Special Collections, and University Archives were spread throughout three floors of the Oviatt Library. Today post-renovation, SC/A staff share a central workroom and offices located adjacent to the reading room.

Before

Old shelving removed from SC/A at CSUN

SC/A ready for new spaces

Julieta Garcia's old desk space in the International Guitar Research Archives office

The unification of staff in a single, shared space is lauded as one of the best parts of the move. University Archivist April Feldman notes that working alongside colleagues makes it easier to ask one another questions, and makes her “feel less like a lone arranger.” However, there were some compromises in consolidation, as April had to give up an expansive old cubicle for a modern, aesthetically pleasing, but smaller cubicle. At the other end of the space spectrum, Archivist Julieta Garcia appreciates the new workroom desk space, as she upgraded from a tiny computer desk in a small shared office to a full cubicle workstation.

Julieta also notes that it is important to be proactive about how your space is being designed. In the initial design plan for the shared workspace, one wall was going to be painted a dark, neutral blue color. Staff advocated for a brighter, cheerful blue paint color, and were able to add a splash of energy and positive vibes on a workroom wall. One detail that had to be amended after the fact was the need to add magnetic light fixtures under the metal cubicle shelves. Lighting is an important consideration for workspaces, but thankfully this turned out to be an easy fix with a little creative post-move shopping for portable lighting solutions.

Cheerful blue wall in the SC/A workroom

The renovation and move process at CSUN was entirely driven by staff, rather than hired movers or external consultants. The SC/A service desk was closed for about six weeks, which allowed staff to focus on the task at hand. In working through the move process, SC/A Coordinator Holli Teltoe says she “can’t stress enough the importance of documenting processes and revising them when they don’t work.” She also recommends assigning leads for certain task areas, to monitor and adjust minor details too granular for the broad, well-planned out big picture details.

Julieta notes a need to be flexible, to expect the unexpected, and to not beat yourself up about things that don’t go exactly as planned. Moving archival collections is a monumental task, and building in physical and mental breaks are key to staying in good shape. April noted that the physical demands of a move can be very different from your regular job tasks due to the increased frequency and repetition of movements. Breaks are healthy to take, even when a to-do list and deadlines are looming. Julieta advises communicating with colleagues to build in staff vacation time into the move plan, and to wear comfortable shoes.

After

Part of SC/A's renovated reading room

Julieta Garcia's desk space in SC/A's new workroom

Much like the consolidation of space at CSUN, the renovation of Boone Special Collections and Archives at Pepperdine Libraries allowed them to bring together their dispersed spaces into a central, cohesive Special Collections wing. Their new space includes room “for teaching instruction sessions, a consolidated preservation storage environment with a dedicated HVAC system, librarian offices and built-in cases for exhibit display."

Melissa Nykanen, Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and University Archives, and Kelsey Knox, Archivist for Special Collections and University Archives, note that their new "space is marked by visibility, cohesion, and functionality," with a prominent research room and seminar room, as well as windows that showcase the processing room and storage environment. Displaying the processing room through windows is a way to help educate students and visitors on the archival work that often goes on behind the scenes.

They created a one page document with their key needs as a tool to guide the process, and regularly consulted the document as the project progressed. The document included information on "the number of staff workstations required, preferred adjacencies, special equipment to be accommodated, key features that were desired, and preservation-friendly materials for finishes." This central guiding document was given to new designers as they were brought on to the project, and kept all members of the renovation project on the same page. It is a good example of a central planning document that can be shared and consulted to clearly communicate needs.

Melissa and Kelsey noted that, "One thing we have learned is that there are many factors in making renovation decisions, and occasionally we had to reconcile our preferences with structural limitations, budget considerations, and building codes to make things work." Despite needing to work around these practical concerns, they now have a more welcoming and functional space. This includes a new "dedicated teaching space with projection” that has allowed them to “integrate technology into our instruction sessions in meaningful and useful ways." Since the renovation, they have had a three-fold increase in the number of instruction sessions taught in the past year, and their consolidated areas are now easier to find.

II. Moving to a New Space

The staff at the Autry Museum of the American West moved library and archival collection materials from two separate sites, the Braun Research Library and the Autry Library, to a central Resources Center of the Autry in Burbank, California. The Resources Center is still a work in progress, and not yet open to researchers, but the process of moving brought two libraries together and provides plenty to reflect on regarding library and archival collection moves.

Before

Stacks at the Braun Research Library before the move

Shelving at the Resources Center of the Autry before the move

When a move was inevitable but yet to be scheduled, Liza Posas, then Head Librarian of the Braun and Archivist, and now Head of Research Services and Archives, came up with a sound move mantra she dubbed L3D, which set the bar for the most basic conditions she wanted the collections to be in in order to move them. L3D stands for: stabilize all LOOSE materials, clearly LABEL boxes, complete the LOCATION guide for all collections, and create DOCUMENTATION for unprocessed or uncataloged collections. This mantra proved to be the guiding, overarching structure for the Braun Research Library move.

Braun Research Library collecting began in 1907, and by the time of the move, the library included archives, works of art on paper, maps, 3D objects, photographs, audiovisual materials, and published documents. Beyond setting the L3D goal, Liza also developed an extremely detailed spreadsheet timeline to manage move preparations for this diverse array of material types that needed to be safely relocated out of a three story, elevator-less building. The timeline was adjusted and refined during regular meetings with the move team. Liza advises documenting your meeting questions and answers to remember which decisions were made and why. Marva Felchlin, then Director of the Library and Archives, agrees that the keys to a successful move project include documenting collection needs and work plans, as well as regular move team meetings and updates.

Liza advises to “measure, measure, measure, and measure again,” and to inventory “not only the boxes, but the type of boxes” to help with shelf reads, estimating space needs, and inventory control. Different material types, from monographs to lantern slides, and everything in between, were given color codes by material type. Thinking in colors is an abstract, but effective organizational tool that helped with move planning, as well as during the physical move itself. This was especially helpful for the Braun Library monographs, which ran in non-consecutive sections in different parts of the multi-level library. The color coding system, along with a stop and start pulling move sequence, resulted in a continuous Dewey run at the Resources Center. The use of choreographed color coding also helped Liza strategically sequence the moving of the Institutional Archives, which were previously housed in four different buildings, but are now in record group order.

The Move

Color coded and numbering pull system at the Braun Research Library

Books loaded into numbered and color coded containers after being hand carried down from the second floor of the elevator-less Braun Research Library. The floor is covered to protect the flooring and to allow heavy carts to roll better.

Permanent and temporary Library and Archives staff led move preparations, but Liza also gives credit to strategically placed volunteers and interns for their important contributions working on a variety of projects. Penn Corporate Relocation Services, working with Autry staff, conducted the physical move of most materials from, in mover-speak, “origin” to “destination.” An art handling team from Atelier 4 boxed and moved the rehoused Braun wax cylinder collection. The teams of experienced relocation and art handling staff, in conjunction with Autry staff, the dedicated work of volunteers and interns, and the detailed move sequence and shelf plans, meant that all materials made it safely to destination.

Although move preparations stretched over a period of years at varying intensity levels for both the Braun and Autry Libraries, the actual physical moves lasted several days each. The lack of an elevator for the three levels of Braun collections was one of the most challenging aspects. There was really no reason to go to a gym for a workout during the intense final months before the move. With the Autry Library there were additional security challenges, as many of the library and archival collections were stored in areas shared by museum collection objects. Cheryl Miller, then Cataloging and Metadata Librarian, and now Head, Library Metadata and Discovery Services, noted the extra challenge of ensuring there were sightlines for security staff to monitor external movers in tight shelving aisles and hallways that turn corners. Not all cell signals worked in every storage area either. It is important to make sure that you have phone numbers for your entire team, and that everyone has reception. Without reception it is a good idea to acquire an alternate communication method, like walkie talkies.

After

Braun Research Library books on their new shelving

Thanks to a meticulously tracked color and numbering system, the Institutional Archives that were once in four different buildings, now arrive at their new home in correct record group order.

Move processes often involve professionals from fields outside of the library and archives world. It is important that what you say, and what movers, shelving vendors, and even your own administration communicate, gets properly translated across professional lines.  Good communication, as well as responsiveness and flexibility, helps build trust with all the individuals involved on the project.

III. Conclusion

Moving collections is a big undertaking, but it also offers an opportunity to rethink workflow processes and to shape spaces to those processes, rather than the other way around. Moves also often shift part of an archive’s focus to missions of outreach, publicity, and fundraising, to champion archival work through showcasing moves and the dreams of a fresh and functional space. Archival spaces of all shapes and sizes and the activities that happen within them have always been important, but a move gives archivists a chance to share them in a more focused, tactile way, centered on a tangible space stakeholders can grasp.

Although archival collections are often front and center in move planning, the human element is also an important component of the move mix. The process brings together people with varied experiences in archives - from designers and architects, to community members, to professional archivists and an organization’s administrators. Talking the same language can be a hurdle to overcome, and it can be tough to remember to take time out for self-care through a stressful process.

What archival spaces contain is important - both in terms of collections and in terms of people. Archival spaces exist as both physical entities and symbolic spaces of what society chooses to value. Who and what we allow in our spaces shapes our stories, in terms of the space on the page and the page in our spaces. The shelving units, work tables, and reading rooms are key components of what makes an archival unit tick, but underlying these physical spaces are the people and echoes of history that inhabit them.

Mallory Furnier is currently the Archivist for Urban Archives and the Old China Hands Archives in Special Collections & Archives at California State University, Northridge. She previously worked for seven years at the Autry Museum, including a stint as Special Projects Archivist on the Library and Archives move. She occasionally feels nostalgic for the excitement and adrenaline of a move project.