Library planning in the electronic era: are the stacks necessary?

摘要

Where are stacks going? "Get rid of the stacks." As with all catch phrases, this one was first used in moderation and eventually progressed to the cliche revel. Suddenly the cliche is everywhere. It surrounds us and is one of the more prominent cliches in the special library world today. It signifies a seemingly radical development, but is realty part of a tong line of change in space planning requirements that all special libraries need to heed in order to survive and flourish. The evolution of information delivery by special libraries can be traced through the changes in space planning requirements. Particularly in corporate settings, file rooms were first transformed into more traditional libraries, and in many cases served as a showcase for upper management to display to visitors. This was followed by the computerized information centers of today. In all of these cases, the type and mixture of collections and staff dictated the use of space. The journey continues today, with the question being, "How much stack material will we keep?"