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Re: linear feet...it's all relative



Carol Edward's message reminded me that the size of a collection usually
isn't as important as the amount of space required to store it. Those two
numbers are almost always different, and sometimes they can differ greatly.

My stacks have 34-inch shelves (they were built in 1938). I can fit two
storage boxes or six mss boxes on one shelf. Two storage boxes waste 3.5
inches of shelving, and six mss boxes waste four inches of shelving. So, for
every six mss boxes, I have to add four inches to determine how much shelf
space the collection will actually use. Or, I count the number of shelves a
collection occupies and multiply by 34.

Does the difference matter? Well, if you're allocating space or planning a
new building and give your architect the actual size of your collections
instead of the amount of space they need....

Lee

==--00--==

Leon C. Miller, Manuscripts Librarian
Special Collections, Jones Hall, Howard-Tilton Memorial Library
Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118
Ph: 504-865-5685, Fx: 504-865-5761
Leon.Miller@tulane.edu
http://specialcollections.tulane.edu


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-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU]On Behalf
Of Carol A Edwards
Sent: Friday, March 09, 2001 9:01 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Map folders = ? linear feet

Hmmm......... "proper way" is a loaded question, and this
does not directly answer your question, but....

A number of years ago we had to come up with the volume
of holdings in the collection, and were given equivalents to
determine cubic feet.  From that chart (in the USGS Handbook),
1 map file drawer (size not defined but probably assumed
to be ca. 36- x 48-inches internal measurement) equals 1/2 cubic
foot.
Does someone from National Archives or elsewhere have suggestions on
calculating linear feet as Gail requests?  I'm interested in how you would
determine that for flat-filed material such as maps, well logs (frequently
file in deep drawers on their edge), etc.

Carol A. Edwards
USGS Field Records Library
MS 914, Box 25046, Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225-0046
email: cedwards@usgs.gov
phone: 303-236-1005
fax: 303-236-0015

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