Appendix B (Facilities)

Maine School Library Facilities Handbook APPENDIX B: Calculating Shelving Requirements

The following information is presented with permission of the authors and is taken from Planning School Library Media Center Facilities for New Hampshire and Vermont by Susan C. Snider and Leda Schubert, published in 1989 by the States of New Hampshire and Vermont's Departments of Education.

Shelving: Shelving should be adjustable and moveable rather than built -in. It is available in wood and in metal, and combinations of wood and metal. In determining type and placement of shelving consider the following:

Freestanding double-faced stacks placed in rows of 4-6 sections is the most preferred stack arrangement.
Single-faced units placed around outside wall is recommended only in very small library media centers.
Counter height shelving my be used for picture books, reference books and to create special interest areas.
Special shelving will be needed for periodicals, audiovisual software, displays and equipment.
Shelves should not be more than two thirds full. It is recommended that the top and bottom shelves be initially reserved for collection expansion or used for display
To insure continuity, purchase enough shelving to meet future needs.
Adjustable shelving that can fall apart if one metal clip is removed should be avoided.
Backstops should be added to open shelving to avoid books sliding to the shelf behind.

Shelves that are longer than 36" may warp.

Dimensions:

To calculate the linear feet of shelving needed use the following:

To calculate how many linear feet of shelving are required for a collection, take the total number of volumes to be housed and divide by the number of books per foot. For example, a primary collection of 5,000 volumes consisting of picture and thin books would require a total of 250 linear feet of shelving (5,000/20). Remember -- shelves should only be two-thirds full. To allow for this, multiply the number of linear feet required time 1.33. Example: 250 x 1.33 = 332.5, or 333 linear feet of shelving.

Use the following chart to determine how many linear feet there are per standard size unit of shelving.

Number of Shelves per unit	Linear Feet per Single Faced Unit	Linear Fee per Double-Faced Unit
3	9	18
4	12	24
5	15	30
6	18	36
7	21	42

When arranging spaces it is necessary to know how many volumes can be house per unit. To determine how many volumes per unit use the following chart.

Number of shelves per unit	Type of Book	Single-Faced	Double-Faced
3	picture/thin standard size reference	180 90 54	360 180 108
4	picture/thin standard size reference	240 120 60	480 240 120
5	picture/thin standard size reference	300 150 90	600 300 180
6	picture/thin standard size reference	360 180 108	720 360 216
7	standard size	210	420

When determining depth of shelving consider the following:

Use 10 inch shelf depth for standard size books.
Use 12 inch depth for picture books, reference books, and periodical and audiovisual storage.
Equipment storage will require 18-24 inch shelf depth.