This report examines storage shortages, environmental conditions, off-site storage, space planning, acquisition constraints, compact shelving, oversized and fragile materials, shared storage, and cost-control strategies in academic library special collections.
The report shows widespread pressure on special collections storage. 53.85% of respondents say they currently face critical on-site storage shortages, and another 19.23% say they somewhat face such shortages. Only 26.92% say they do not. Storage pressure is especially acute among larger institutions: 83.33% of institutions with more than 40,000 students report critical shortages.
Many libraries are close to capacity. 23.08% report only 0–1 year of growth remaining before additional space is needed, and another 15.38% report 2–3 years, meaning 38.46% expect to need more space within three years. Space limitations also affect collecting: 23.08% say space frequently restricts acquisitions, and 50.00% say it occasionally does. Thus, 73.08% experience acquisition constraints at least occasionally because of space.
The report also finds mixed use of storage strategies. Exactly 50.00% of respondents use off-site storage for special collections, while 50.00% do not. Likewise, 50.00% use high-density or compact shelving, while 50.00% do not. Environmental conditions receive mixed ratings: 50.00% are very satisfied or satisfied, but 30.77% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied.
Oversized and fragile items are a nearly universal problem: 57.69% say such items are sometimes difficult to store safely, 23.08% say often, and 3.85% say very often; no respondent says “never.” Shared storage remains rare despite the pressure: only 7.69% have shared special collections storage with another college or university.