RLSC Operations Policies

1. Mission

Building on a history of collaborative success as a public-private partnership serving northwest academic libraries, the Orbis Cascade Alliance plans to create a Regional Library Services Center (RLSC). The center will feature a high-density storage module designed to house two million volumes. It will also employ electronic delivery technology, offer fast retrieval of print originals, and provide excellent environmental conditions for the long-term preservation of the collections. Beyond housing collections, the Alliance envisions a shared facility that will support current consortium services and offer a wide variety of new collaborative initiatives which may include digitization and preservation, data archiving, and emergency response. Modeled after facilities serving Harvard University and other major research libraries, the RLSC will provide an economic means for libraries to accommodate growth of their collections and make the best use of scarce space on campus. Most important, through the RLSC the Orbis Cascade Alliance will create a shared regional archive of paper and microfilm and audio-visual collections for present and future generations of faculty and students.

2. Facility Description

Initial construction of the RLSC will include one high-density storage module to house two million volumes, processing space for collections, loading docks, a reading room, a vacuuming room to clean materials on accession, and staff offices. The storage module will feature a high-quality preservation environment with desiccant dehumidification, set points of 35% relative humidity and 50º F, air filtration, and low lighting levels. Future expansion of the RLSC will provide space for additional storage modules, additional staff offices, meeting and instruction space, a preservation lab and a digitizing studio.

3. Depositors

3.1 Primary depositors to the RLSC are the members of the Orbis Cascade Alliance.

3.2 Institutions that are not members of the Orbis Cascade Alliance may also become depositors. [task force recommends this option be kept open for financial reasons]

4. Ownership of deposited material

4.1 Depositors may retain ownership of deposited material or they may transfer ownership to the RLSC.

4.2 Institutions retaining ownership may count collections in their institutional counts; those that legally relinquish ownership may not.

4.3 Materials owned by the RLSC will be kept permanently unless all member institutions of the Alliance agree otherwise.

5. Deposits

High-density library storage facilities are designed to accomplish two goals. One is to maximize the amount of collection material housed in the space by storing materials by size and in trays and other containers. The other is to ensure the long-term preservation of stored collections by providing an optimal physical environment for water-absorbing materials such as paper.

5.1 Eligible material includes but is not limited to paper monographs and serial volumes, microforms, maps, blueprints, photographs, manuscript and archival materials, video and audio recordings.

5.2 Ineligible material includes:

• Items that require different environmental conditions for long-term preservation including but not limited to motion picture film, textiles, and works of art.
• Items that cannot be stored efficiently in trays or other containers and result in excessive weight or low-density occupancy of the facility including but not limited to scientific specimen collections, theater props, museum objects, and realia.
• Items whose physical condition jeopardizes the safety and preservation of the RLSC building or its contents including but not limited to items in an advanced state of deterioration, items invested with mold, insects or vermin, and items that are potentially explosive or highly flammable such as nitrate film.
• Items that the depositing library will not allow to circulate generally or according to the restricted circulation policy described in section 10.
• Items for which there is no record of access in Summit.

6. Duplicates

6.1 An individual institution may not send more than one copy of an item to the RLSC.

6.2 Monographs: Duplicates from multiple institutions are permitted as space allows.

6.3 Serials: with the exception of materials falling under section 8, duplicates from multiple institutions are permitted as space allows.

7. Repatriation

With the exception of materials falling under section 8, a depositing library may permanently withdraw owned deposited items from the RLSC. However, repatriation can create space management problems and should be kept to a minimum.

8. Print Repository

8.1 Titles may not be duplicated within the RLSC.

8.2 Titles may not be withdrawn from the RLSC.

8.3 Participating institutions will sign and abide by the requirements of the MOU governing the print repository.

9. Responsibilities

9.1 The responsibilities of the depositing library include selection of materials, cataloging, and shipping to the RLSC.

9.2 The responsibilities of the RLSC include inventory control, access, and preservation of the stored collection.

10. Circulation Policies

10.1 There will be uniform circulation policies by types of material

10.2 Types of material will circulate in two ways.

10.2.1 Materials will be freely available to members of Orbis Cascade Alliance under defined loan periods, shipping requirements, and other circulation policies.

10.2.2 Materials defined by type, e.g. manuscript and archival material, will circulate only to the secure reading room at the RLSC or to a designated secure reading room at the owning library.

10.3 If non-Orbis Cascade Alliance institutions are permitted to deposit materials in the RLSC, circulation policies will be developed for these collections.