I would like to thank everyone who answered my two exciting questions from
the other day. See below for the suggestions. Basically, it looks like I
should judge growth from previous years. That makes sense to me; I just
don't feel like our records have been done in such a way that the
information is easily found without opening up each volume to see when it
was received. (I'm fairly new and don't like the current system, I'm in the
process of changing that as well). The question about Statutory Supplements
seems to be one that everyone has had at one point or the other, with many
asking for the results for themselves. Again, thank you for your comments
and suggestions. Enjoy!
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West Customer Service or Reference Attorneys can help you with the Statutory
Supplement numbering system.
We just completed a major collection shift of our primary materials and
wanted to leave enough space for five year's growth. What we did is to
count the number of volumes we received over the last five years for each
set. We then calculated how many linear feet of shelf space those volumes
occupied and then the number of shelves that figure translated into.
Finally, we added a small fudge factor to that number of shelves.
with regard to shifting, try to figure out how many replacement vols. or new
reporters, etc you have received over the last 3 years and plan to allow
that much space. it is at best a guessing game.
regarding the USCA supplements, if it says on the paperback that it
supplements the pocket parts then yes, you can discard them. do you get
USCCAN from West, or session laws from US GPO? the material in the statutory
supplements would be in those as well.
The sets you mention don't grow the same way that reporters do, so you
shouldn't need to leave all that much space for growth. A few shelves for
each set should more than suffice. Reporters are a different story; I look
at how many volumes I've received in a typical year, and how much shelf
space they take up, and try to plan for growth that way. I usually like to
figure on at least three years of space, based on the average figure I've
come up with.
As for the supplements, look at the pocket parts (or supplemental pamphlets)
of the USCA volumes themselves and they will tell you through which Public
Law the updating there goes. If the supplement volumes cover newer Public
Laws, keep them on the shelf with USCA; if they don't, the statutes have
been codified already and you can recycle the supplement volumes.
For the sets you describe, updated by pocket parts, I use 2/3 to 3/4 of the
shelf. This allows for addition of thicker pocket parts and eventual new
volumes as West produces them later. You probably don't need to leave quite
as much room for Words & Phrases.
As for USCA, if you look at the most recent pocket part, it says it is
current through the 109th Congress, first session. The pocket parts
therefore include legislation from the 2005 term. Those red and white
supplements contain the legislation from the 109th congress first term, and
are therefore incorporated in the current pocket parts. It is safe to
discard them.
Can't help you with any mathematical formulas for shelving, but I know on
the USCA supplements I toss the supplementary pamphlets when the new pocket
parts come in. I believe it tells you to do this in the shelving
instructions, but it's buried in there somewhere where it is hard to find. I
was confused about this too.
If I have enough space, I like to fill shelves only half-full for sets that
grow internally, (by splitting into "A" and "B" volumes for example instead
of at the end) like USCA, state statutes, digests etc. That way you can
interfile the volumes without having to shift all the time. If you don't
have sufficient space to double what's allowed for the set, do a percentage
based on how much space you do have.
Megan Schulz
Legislative Reference Library Assistant
State Library of Kansas
300 SW 10th Ave, Room 343-N
Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 296-4673
Legislative Hotline 800-432-3924
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