Stacks Maintenance Range Guides

Owned by Import Utility
Last updated: Aug 18, 2023 by Sam Simpson
4 min read

Department

Circulation

Purpose

To accurately display the range of LC Call Numbers and LC Subject Headings on each shelf for patron information.   

Overview

This procedure describes how to find the range of call numbers on each shelf, input them in the appropriate document, use the MS Publisher template to size the labels correctly, print them, cut them using the paper guillotine, and insert them in the proper Range Guide display. 

Required Knowledge/Skills

Basic layout of Christopher Center, Library of Congress Classification system, Microsoft Publisher, use of paper guillotine      

Safety Issues/Precautions

Some bending and stretching and use of guillotine paper cutter is required

Equipment/Supplies

 Access to a computer with Microsoft Publisher, printer, access to the S:/drive, clip board, access to color printer, writing implement, template with stacks layout, guillotine paper cutter with ruler insert 

Procedure

   

PREP WORK

  1. Print out a copy of the stacks layout for third and fourth floors, located at S:/CCLS/Circulation & Media/Stacks Management/Range Guides.
  2. With the clipboard, copy of the stacks layout, and writing utensil, go to the area where Range Guides need to be updated
  3. Copy down the LC Call Number of the very first book (located in the upper left corner of the range) and the very last book (located in the lower right corner of the range), making sure to start at the east end of the northernmost range, and follow the serpentine pattern of the stacks.
    1. Range Guides display the Letter Line and the whole number portion of the Number Line (e.g., If the complete call number of the first book is QC 982.5 .S68 M48 and the last book is QD 110.22 .A5 2011, the Range Guide should display "QC 982 - QD 110".                      

       4. Follow the serpentine pattern of the shelves until you reach the end of the area that needs to be updated.


CREATION OF GUIDES IN PUBLISHER

  1. Once back at the desk, open the document “Range guides 2023 Fixed.pub,” located at S:/CCLS/Circulation & Media/Stacks Management/Range Guides.
  2. A group of six slides will open, which represent the east/west ends of a single range guide, as indicated by the diagram in “Stacks 3.1 [or 4.1]”. Some runs have two ranges per run, while others have three.
  3. Input the range guides in the top text box (72-point Garamond), e.g.,“M1 - M3” after ensuring there is a space between the dash and each range indicator.
  4. In the text box immediately beneath it (55-point Garamond), input the LCSH (or two) most appropriate for the range; e.g., “Music” or “Music; Music History” for sections with more than one subject.
  5. For ranges that span subjects, use the starting book’s subject heading, and the end book’s subject heading. This is useful in areas that cross multiple letters; e.g., U to ZA.
  6. In cases where the subject heading is too long to be accommodated by the text box, slight abbreviation may be appropriate; i.e., “Economic History” becomes “Econ. Hist.,” or similar.
  7. If text boxes need to be expanded to accommodate subject headings, make sure the text box with the range label is expanded to the same size. Make sure everything is centered, and that arrow sizes are accommodated accordingly. You may have to resize arrows to accommodate longer subject headings.


CUTTING AND DISPLAYING GUIDES

  1. Once printed, cut the guides so that they are the same size (cut on the black lines). Gold (north) goes next to brown (south), for each “page.”
  2.  Ranges run in the following directions: E end to W end; W end to E end (same label as E to W but flip arrow directions); middle-ends to end-ends (directionally contingent).
    1. Keep an eye on directionality and label, to ensure accuracy especially in sections that have three ranges per run, rather than just two.
  3. There will be sections where poles run behind the ranges; in these cases, only the east labels of each range need to be done (pages 1, 3, and 5 in the template).
    1. Poles are indicated in the diagram mentioned earlier, but there are poles at the west end of each range, not just one at the far west end of each run
  4. When cutting the guides, use the guillotine in Tech Services, and cut on the black lines so that the paper fits perfectly within the range guide display plastic.

CHANGING GUIDES

  1. On either side of each guide holder, there will be a tab to pull up and shimmy out; put it off to the side. Usually, only one slides out, rather than both. Some guides are missing one side or the other’s end-cap tab.
  2. Slide the pieces contained in the guide holder out, and find a flat surface to work on.
    1. Order of pieces, from back to front: shiny metal, white cardboard with range guides (paper) placed in proper orientation, clear plastic
  3. Keeping the pieces straight, slide the whole thing back into the guide holder. Be careful so that nothing slides out or falls out of place, then replace the end-cap tab.