ANS LIBRARY MOVE STATUS REPORT Public Deposited
The E-Sylum: Volume 7, Number 21, May 23, 2004, Article 6
ANS LIBRARY MOVE STATUS REPORT
[Last week's email glitch prevented the following submission
from begin published until today. This is a first of a two-
part article. -Editor]Dick Johnson writes: "On the occasion of the COAC
Conference Saturday, May 15, 2004, at the American
Numismatic Society's new building I asked for, and received,
permission to view the Library. I found librarian Francis
Campbell -- ?Frank? to everyone! -- surrounded by hundreds
of boxes of books, perhaps five or six hundred still to be
opened and contents placed on shelves.Yet there were thousands of books already on shelves.
?How many boxes did it take to move all these books??
I asked. ?Approximately four thousand? Frank said. Any
part of the library still at the old building? No.The library occupies two floors, five and six, of the Society's
building at 140 William Street in deep lower Manhattan. The
library is named for its most consistent supporter, it is now
known as the Harry Bass Jr. Library, and the bronze plaque
with relief portrait is already installed, visible immediately as
you step off the elevator.Harry Bass was honored for his more than $4,000,000
generosity to the library, while he was on the Society's council,
as president, and until his death in April 1998. His influence will
be felt well into future years, particularly for funding the library
database (like he funded the periodical NIP database). Access
to this began in 1997, where the online catalog contains the
library's full holdings. See: NIP databaseAs I stepped into library on the fifth floor I have entered the
John J. Ford Jr. Reading Room. This thanks to the generosity
of the Ford family. The dedication ceremony of this Ford
Reading Room was held two days earlier, May 13th. After
weeks of work the first books brought into this room had filled
many of the shelves in time for the ceremony.The shelving is the first thing you notice as you enter this room.
The lighting is the second. Both are brand new, and both more
than adequate. Good choices by the planners. The library
retains the use of movable shelving, like in the old building up
at Audubon Terrace. Movable shelving can accommodate
about one-third more shelf space than fixed shelving,
according to Frank.Rows of shelves occupy both sides as you enter the room.
One fixed shelf is on the left of a row of seven movable shelves.
With an easy twist of the black-armed controls one entire shelf
unit ? or the entire row of seven! ? can move easily and
noiselessly along the tracks in the floor. In two seconds
thousands of pounds of books are shifted for easy entrance to
the desired shelf. With adequate overhead lighting the titles of
books, even on the bottom shelf, are easily seen.Unlike the old library, Frank pointed out, all pamphlets and
auction catalogs are on open shelves. These used to be in
rows of black filing cabinets if you remember those. Now these
unbound gems are still in the well-marked file folders but now
reside in six-inch wide plastic trays on open shelves. This
section of the library is in the far left corner.Frank's office is adjacent to this. He pointed with peevish pride
to the window in his office that he can keep an eye on these
pamphlet shelves. What used to be called by the library term
?vertical files? now occupy six shelf units each 40" wide (the
end one is 36") with six shelves high. Perhaps 140 shelf feet of
these pamphlet files with an equal number on the opposite side
of that shelving row.The end results, after more than four years of planning, exhibit
this effort was well worthwhile. The floor layout of offices and
shelving location are ideal. But the planning included even the
box labeling. Each box was identified with codes as to the floor,
the ?origination? ? where it came from ? and the destination,
where to put it. ?F5" was the code for the fifth floor.On this floor are all the numismatic books. The journals and
nonnumismatic books are destined for the sixth floor. New
technology is influencing some of shelf locations as well. A
cabinet just outside Frank's office will contain audio-visual
items, cassettes, CDs, videos and microfilm. Readers for
each of these are planned to be nearby.Overhead will be cameras for security, Frank noted.
Perspiration was pouring off his brow as we talked. He had
been working six days a week to effect this move and
restocking the shelves. The move had commenced in March.?How many books does the library have?? I asked. ?We are
still using the figure 100,000,? Frank said. And then with a big
smile, ?Maybe in the future someday we will count every one!?Next week: The sixth floor and the Rare Book Room."
- 2004-05-23
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