Physical Collections and Access

We provide access to and maintain the library’s physical collections, including the nearly 8 million physical items housed in Hatcher, Shapiro, Buhr, the Research Museum Center, and our offsite shelving facilities. We make sure the library’s book stacks remain accessible and usable for library visitors by overseeing how and where we shelve physical items, ensuring online records are accurate, and coordinating item requests.

Our team locates requested books from the shelves to make them available for pickup at our service desks. We partner with Library Facilities to coordinate large-scale material moves to appropriate library facilities — based on condition and use — and manage the transfer of materials. We collaborate with Preservation and Conservation to ensure proper long-term care for our collections.