Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Downsizing Three Special Collections, Theresa Norton, Michael Safratowich

Librarian Publications

Objective: When the University of North Dakota’s Health Sciences Library moved to its new location in 2016 it transformed itself into an entirely digital library with a few exceptions. Due to shelving limitations, the library could retain only about one third of the volumes and historical medical artifacts in its special collections. Staff members were tasked with selecting the most appropriate items and moving them to their new location while complying with UND’s disposal policies for discarded and gifted materials.

Methods: Staff members reviewed titles for relevance, prominence in their field, authorship, associations with the university, region, and state of …