Five College Library Depository opens for
business this week

his Friday, the first of approximately 500,000 volumes will begin moving from the Five College campus libraries to a unique, off-site storage facility owned by Amherst College.

     Known locally as "the bunker," the facility near the Notch on Route 116 in South Amherst formerly served as the headquarters for the Strategic Air Command in the Northeast. Amherst College is leasing about 10,000 square feet of its property to the Five College Librarians Council to house the Five College Library Depository (FCLD).
The storehouse is expected to ease pressure on campus libraries by freeing up shelf space now occupied by lesser-used materials.

     On hand to supervise the first phase of the transfer of selected materials will be the new project manager, David G. Spoolstra.

     Spoolstra, who was selected by the council following a national search, is based at Amherst College, reporting to its librarian, Willis Bridegam. Spoolstra is responsible for organizing, managing and furnishing services of the shelving facility.

     Spoolstra earned a master's of library and information science last year at Simmons College. Prior to accepting the Five College post, he worked in a corporate library as an information specialist.

     During the next three years, when the major portion of transfers are expected, FCLD staffing will consist of Spoolstra and two full-time support staff. In subsequent years, as the level of transfers diminishes, staff will be reduced to a half-time manager and 1.5 full-time equivalent staff.

     As project manager, Spoolstra will evaluate the physical condition of materials and develop and administer an effective preservation and duplicate distribution program. He will also develop a process for responding promptly and accurately to requests from Five College researchers for copies of materials housed at the depository. To aid in the delivery of materials, FCLD will be added to the route currently used for interlibrary loans.

     FCLD also will provide space for researchers who wish to consult original materials on site.