Abstract
The J. Murrey Atkins Library at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte serves over 21,000 undergraduates and over 4,000 graduate students. Apart from the sole branch library (Arts & Architecture), all of the resources are housed in the main building. In 2016, a plan was developed for a comprehensive weeding project. Two primary factors made this necessary. One was the adaptive nature of the library’s philosophy; student needs and preferences were constantly assessed, and changes were made to the library’s services and spaces based on them. The creation of a makerspace, a family-friendly study room, and other student workspaces meant less room for shelving, as did additional staff offices. Another factor was the fact that the collection had not previously been systematically weeded. Shelves were overfilled, and parts of the collection were outdated or redundant. The combined needs for physical space and for a decluttered collection meant that a comprehensive rightsizing project was in order.
Publication Date
7-4-2017