ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries January 1989 / 19 The conference will also attem pt to bring into focus key issues and trends in th e trad e today through panel discussions among American and European antiquarian booksellers. Newnham College, Cambridge, will serve as the conference headquarters site. Founded in 1871, Newnham College was originally designed by Basil Champreys in the “Queen Anne” style and built be­ tween 1875 and 1910. L ater m odern additions blend nicely with the original buildings, and the college is specially noted for its fine gardens. Two hundred single room s have been reserved in Newnham and in neighboring Selwyn College for conference attendees desiring to stay in college. In addition, tours of libraries and museums in and around Cambridge are being planned, and the Provincial Book Fairs Association will hold a book fair at Newnham College during the conference. Details about registration and accommodation will be available this coming April. For further in­ formation at th at time, contact: Mary Ellen Davis, ACRL/ALA, 50 East Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611; (800) 545-2433; in Illinois (800) 545-2444; in C anada (800) 545-2455. ■ ■ By Stephen D. Fitt Head, Special Resources Division San Diego State University Library The Range Dolly solves stack-shifting problems at San Diego. A .n expensive, labor-intensive activity in both ac- ademic and public libraries is the shifting of free­ standing steel shelving to accommodate new floor layouts or the installation of new carpeting. All books must be removed from shelves and tempo­ rarily stored in boxes or on book trucks, w ith care taken to preserve some kind of call number order. During this period, patrons have limited or no ac­ cess to the books. Shelving is at least partially disas­ sembled and slid to the new location, in the case of new floor layouts, or out of the way, in the case of recarpeting. The shelving must then be reassem­ bled and the books returned to the shelves in the correct call num ber order. Devices and procedures which may help some­ w h at to simplify this procedure have been dis­ cussed in the literature; none have entirely solved the problem, due to requirements to unload ranges all or in part, or prohibitive prices. An article by Brian Alley discussed a dolly developed at Miami University. This device, using rolling trailer jacks, attaches to an upright column and permits move­ m ent of a range, after all the books have been re­ moved from the shelves.1 In a 1986 article, James Segesta described several range-moving devices, and suggested procedures 1Brian Alley, “Moving Steel Stacks w ith a Spe­ cial D olly,” L ibrary Acquisitions: Practice and Theory 6 (1982): 253-57. Moving fu lly-load ed stacks inexpensively 20 / C &R L News for moving ranges of shelving when recarpeting is necessary. A range-moving device developed at Cum berland College by Anthony Abriola consists of a steel frame on wheels and hoisting winches ca­ pable of lifting and moving fully-loaded ranges over plywood tracks. Another procedure involves sliding partially unloaded ranges over carpet. This is accomplished by tilting the ranges slightly and sliding a steel shelf under each upright, w ith the shelf acting as a runner.2 A more recent development at Moorhead State University called the “Range-Mover,” consists of metal racks w ith large casters. Hydraulic jacks are used to lift each section from the top. The system is described as capable of moving fully-loaded ranges w ith little or no preparation of stacks.3 At San Diego State University, periodic moving of ranges has become the norm due to the gradual acquisition of space in a wing of the library which has been used for faculty offices and classrooms and because of recarpeting projects every five or six years. Major investments of time and student assis­ ta n t monies, as well as limited patron access to sig­ nificant portions of the collection accompany these moving projects—not to mention noise and general 2James Segesta, “Pulling the Rug out from under the Stacks,” College and Research Libraries News, July/August 1986, 441-44. T›arrel M. Meinke, “Pulling the Rug out from under the Stacks (Revisited), ’ College and R e­ search Libraries News, May 1988, 288-89. disruption of library services. E nter Jim Duffy, a retired m anufacturing engi­ neer for G eneral Dynamics C orporation in San Diego, who is serving as a volunteer assigned to the library administrative office. Jim became fully ac­ quainted w ith the problems of shifting library shelving as he prepared and revised library floor plans and participated in overall space planning. As he studied the steel shelving and watched stu­ dents tediously disassemble and reassemble ranges of shelving, he concluded there had to be an easier way. T he easier w ay is w h at Jim calls the Range Dolly—a device which permits the movement of a range of C ontem porary Ames library shelving while books rem ain on the shelves. Each dolly sup­ ports the weight of one double-faced section, plus half the weight of each adjacent double-faced sec­ tion of seven shelves loaded w ith books. As an ex­ ample, one Range Dolly set of four dollies will sup­ port a range of seven double-faced sections, with one dolly under every other section. Each Range Dolly consists of four pieces. Two identical cross pieces fit under the shelving adja­ cent to each upright column and tw o other identi­ cal pieces, w ith two swivel casters each, fit outside the shelving on opposite sides. The four pieces are attached using two bolts at each of the four corners. Each dolly has a post extending up chest-high so an individual can grasp it to either push or pull the dolly in the desired direction. Since each caster swivels, the range can be moved in any direction. The weight of the books and shelving is transferred down the upright columns to the midpoint of the base supports which rest on tw o angles attached to each of the Range Dolly cross pieces. The weight of the books, shelving and dollies is supported by cast­ ers, each of which is capable of supporting 750 pounds. The free-standing section of shelving must be raised approximately 1/2 inch to perm it placing the Range Dolly cross pieces under it. This is accom­ plished by using a pry bar and placing 1/2 inch wooden shims under the levelers on both sides of the range. The side pieces of the Range Dolly are then attached to the cross pieces. The free standing section is again raised slightly w ith a pry bar; the weight transferred to the dolly, shims removed and the levelers adjusted upw ard to clear the floor sur­ face. After each dolly is assembled in this m anner, the loaded range (shelving and books) can be moved easily by having a person at each dolly pull or push the post to move the range to its desired location. Once in the new location, the above procedure is reversed and the dolly is disassembled and removed from under the range. A crew of four who have performed the opera­ tion several times can move a loaded seven-section range of steel shelving in 15 minutes or one person- hour. Carpets present no problem for the Range Dolly, other than the fact th at it is a little more dif­ January 1989 / 21 ficult to overcome inertia. Most carpeting used in libraries is commercial grade w ith a very tight weave and low nap. The Range Dolly casters are designed to support and move heavy office equip­ ment on carpeting or hard surfaces. A standard set of Range Dollys disassembles into easily stored components and require minim al tools for use. The prototype Range Dolly used at San Diego State University was operated using only a socket wrench, a two-foot long pry bar, and some half-inch shims. While the current Range Dolly was designed for use w ith C ontem porary Ames steel shelving, Jim Duffy is in the process of engi­ neering adaptations which would allow its use on other types of steel library shelving. Because the concept is quite simple, requiring no winches or jacking devices, the Range Dolly can be manufac­ tured and purchased at relatively modest cost. It should pay for itself the first tim e reorganization of shelving arrangements or recarpeting is required. A major advantage of the Range Dolly is th at the weight of the shelving and books is borne in exactly the same manner in which the shelving was origi­ nally manufactured—from the feet through the uprights. No unusual stress is applied to any por­ tion of a range during the assembly of the Range Dolly or during the movement of a range. Based on the num ber of articles which have ap­ peared proposing solutions to the need to move fully-loaded ranges, m anufacturers of lib rary shelving should recognize the need libraries have to occasionally move library shelving and the advan­ tages to libraries of being able to move fully-loaded ranges, and design shelving to perm it such move­ ment. T hat this would make their shelving more attractive to libraries is obvious. Even shelving which is designed to be “perm anently” attached to the floor for seismic safety purposes should have the capability of being moved expeditiously. Libraries requiring new library shelving could encourage this process by w riting into their procurement spec­ ifications the requirem ent th a t shelving be de­ signed to p e rm it m ovem ent of a fully-loaded range. A long-term problem was resolved at San Diego State University by Jim Duffy through the develop­ m ent of the Range Dolly. A major reorganization of the 5th level of the library will be reduced to a m inor inconvenience for both library users and staff. Even at the height of the shift, virtually all materials will be readily accessible. Again, creative problem solving, in the person of Jim Duffy, found a need and developed a solution. F urther information on this Range Dolly may be obtained from Jim by w riting to him at 9300 Dillon Drive, La Mesa, CA 92041. ■ ■ INNOVATIONS Humor and creativity: Staff newsletters by Norman D. Stevens Director The Molesworth Institute Some unperceptive soul has alleged th at “There is nothing duller th an a [staff] newsletter from an­ other library. It is full of arcane references to peo­ ple we don’t know and don’t care about.”1 A more intelligent observer has suggested th at “If anyone ever deigns to w rite a comprehensive history of li- 1Norm anD . Stevens, “Contem porary American Minor Library Publications,” Library Science A n ­ nual 2 (1988): 51. brary h um or.. .library [staff] newsletters will con­ stitute a prim ary source of enormous value.”2 L ibrary staff newsletters, as they exist in so many contem porary American academic libraries, are unusual publications. As a substantial element of a large class of contemporary American minor li­ b rary publications they constitute the most ne­ glected element of our professional literature. They 2Ibid., 52.