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THE
STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT /
THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12230 |
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TO: |
The Honorable the Members of the Board of Regents |
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FROM: |
Carole Huxley |
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COMMITTEE: |
Full Board |
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TITLE OF
ITEM: |
Update on Planning for Collection Storage |
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DATE OF
SUBMISSION: |
April 23, 2004 |
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PROPOSED
HANDLING: |
Discussion |
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RATIONALE FOR
ITEM: |
Critical issue of adequate stewardship |
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STRATEGIC
GOAL: |
Goal 5 |
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AUTHORIZATION(S): |
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SUMMARY: John Egan, chair of an expert panel convened
last fall to advise us on options for proper stewardship of the Archives,
Library and Museum collections, will discuss with the Regents his perspective on
the need for, and our approach to, a new research and collection storage
facility. Mr. Egan has served as
Commissioner of the Office of General Services, Commissioner of Transportation,
and Executive Director of the Dormitory Authority in his 40 years of State
service. In addition, he transformed Albany International Airport as its CEO and
is President of the Renaissance Corporation of Albany, with another large-scale
visionary project under way to make University Heights a major “center of health
care, research and education.” In addition, Governor Pataki recently appointed
him to chair the Harriman Campus Development Corporation on the site of the
State Office Campus.
In
December, staff presented to you the report of the panel Mr. Egan chaired. It
described the importance of the collections under the Regents care, the
conditions under which they are now held, and the needs that should be met in
their storage environment. The
Panel found that current collection care in
the State Library, Archives and Museum does not meet professional standards,
despite important improvements made over the past several years.
The
physical constraints of the Cultural Education Center (CEC) prevent collections
from being adequately preserved and protected. Within the CEC, it would be
prohibitively expensive to achieve adequate environmental controls (humidity and
temperature) and install an appropriate fire suppression system. Furthermore, storage facilities there do
not have sufficient or appropriate space for collections growth. The Museum is already forced to store
significant collections in a remote storage facility with poor environmental
controls. The New York State
Records Center is in a critical situation now, as the facility is at 104% of
capacity.
Following the December
presentation of the panel report, the leadership team of the Office of Cultural
Education, along with George Webb, Director of Office Facilities and Business
Services for SED, embarked on a series of benchmarking site visits, phone
conferences and other investigations of recently built similar facilities. John Egan has continued to provide
essential mentoring to us as we have delineated the essential elements for a
facility and begun to consider sites and strategies. The attached describes those elements,
as well as the next steps in planning.
We are still at a
preliminary stage, with the next step a feasibility plan for which a Request for
Proposals is now being developed.
The project is complex, intended to accommodate 25 years or more of
collection growth and be sufficiently flexible to incorporate new preservation
and access technologies as they develop. From our visits, we have learned that
very few places have dealt with the diversity of media we must care for on the
large scale that these collections represent. Even though the need is urgent, we must
take the time to be sure we have a viable approach to addressing it. Finding a
suitable site and determining a sound financing strategy are basic aspects
before a full-fledged plan can be launched. An apt analogy to the state of planning
now is the beginning of the quiet phase of an institution’s capital
campaign.
Attachment
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR
THE OFFICE OF CULTURAL
EDUCATION FACILITY PLAN
We envision a new state-of-the-art Office of Cultural Education (OCE) Collection Storage and Research Center that will accommodate all of the Museum’s collections and research labs, the State Records Center and parts of the Archives and Library collections. It will also serve as the Cultural Education Center’s (CEC) auxiliary education center.
The CEC will continue as the primary public service and education space for the three institutions that include the Museum’s exhibit galleries, the Research Library and Archives’ public spaces. The CEC will also continue to house that portion of the Archives and Library collections most often used by researchers and other visitors.
I. The OCE Collection Storage and
Research Center
A.
Collection Storage:
·
The Museum collections move from
all other current facilities in the Capital District, i.e., CEC, the Fish Lab
and the Rotterdam Storage Facility, and are consolidated into a new collection
storage facility. This facility
meets the environmental and space needs of the Museum collections for a minimum
of 25 years.
·
All of the records from the
current State Records Center move to the new facility. There is enough space available to
provide a minimum of 25 years space growth in the State Records
program.
·
Eventually, the lesser-used
parts of the Archives and Library collections move out of the CEC to accommodate
their space needs. For purposes of
efficiency, these Archives and Library collections are stored near the new
Museum collection storage facility – perhaps in a campus-like setting. Some collections from all three
institutions, e.g., images and electronic media, are stored according to
environmental needs, rather than according to institutional
affiliation.
- The major criteria for a new collection
storage facility are as follows:
Ø The collection
storage area is based on a modular design that provides enough flexibility for a
projected 25 years of collection growth.
Future collection needs beyond 25 years are accommodated within the plot
plan to permit new, equivalently designed storage modules, as
needed.
Ø The
environmental controls are state-of-the-art, meeting all of the standards
required for long-term preservation of each collection.
Ø The facility
provides adequate security for the collections.
Ø The facility
is located within a reasonable distance from the CEC.
- Infrastructure that will be needed to
support the collection storage function in a new facility
includes:
Ø A loading dock
and collection receiving areas.
Ø Security and
fire suppression systems that meet all professional
standards.
Ø Collection
areas that adequately meet the needs of special formats, including microforms,
electronic records, color photographs and acetate-based
film.
Ø An
infrastructure that is flexible enough to support both current and future
technologies.
B. Research
and Public Space:
·
All of the Museum’s Research and
Collections Division staff, at a minimum, move to the new
facility.
Ø Research labs contain the kind
of space and equipment that is basic for all modern laboratories. Their infrastructure, e.g., wiring, is
flexible enough to accommodate specialized equipment and
furniture.
Ø Auxiliary spaces address safety
and other research needs, e.g., staff showers, chemical storage space and supply
and field equipment storage.
Ø Work and office spaces are
provided for historians, curators, technicians and related staff
operations.
·
Separate workspaces and a
reading room are provided for visiting scientists and other researchers. These spaces have appropriate and
adequate:
Ø furniture and
equipment
Ø technology
infrastructure
Ø security
·
A
portion of the Center functions as an adjunct to the educational programs that
continue to take place in the CEC.
The Center’s educational spaces may include:
Ø A small
education and distance-learning space, particularly focused on scientific and
historical research.
Ø Small seminar
rooms and a lecture hall.
Ø Nature trails
surrounding the Center for “hands-on” programs in biology and earth science, and
a “Rock Park” (a garden that contains samples of all of the rocks found in New
York State).
C. Other
Management and Staffing Issues:
·
Space is provided for the
management of the new facility, e.g., Facility Director’s
office.
·
Staff needs are addressed,
including:
Ø Sufficient staff and visitor
parking.
Ø Food service areas and break
rooms a safe distance away from collection storage space.
II. Cultural Education
Center
The CEC continues
to be the major public access point for OCE institutions. It includes the Museum’s exhibit
galleries and the Research Library and Archives’ public
spaces.
- The plan for the Museum exhibits renewal
continues to be implemented as funds become
available.
- The move of all of the Museum collections
(and, eventually some part of the Library and Archives collections) from the
CEC, provides additional space that is used to enhance the educational and
public programs provided by OCE.
·
Further renovations or
modifications to the building continue according to technological and
user/visitor needs.
- The CEC has additional space for visitor
parking.
- Office space for the administration of
OCE, including its major programs, continues to be housed in the
CEC.
STATE RECORDS
CENTER
|
Current Storage
Capacity (in cubic
feet) |
Size of collection in cubic feet | ||||
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Current (2004) |
10-Yr.
Projection (2014) |
% Increase Over Current Coll. Size |
25-Yr.
Projection (2029) |
% increase Over
Current Coll. Size | |
|
227,072
|
235,000* |
435,000 |
85% |
620,000 |
164% |
*Current storage in the
Records Center is nearly 104% of capacity.
Approximately 8,000 cubic feet of records are being stored in two vaults
and stacked 5 high at the end of aisles.
In addition, there are 11,226 cubic feet in State agencies awaiting space
at the Records Center (RC), and growing daily.
|
Current Storage
Capacity (in square
feet) |
Size
of Collection in square feet | ||||
|
Current (2004) |
10-Yr.
Projection (2014) |
% Increase Over Current Coll. Size |
25-Yr.
Projection (2029) |
% Increase Over
Current Coll. Size | |
|
154,600 |
202,000 |
31% |
262,000 |
69% | |
* Includes all collections housed in and
out of the CEC, with the exception of the proposed Albany Archaeological Center
(see below)
**11,500
sq. ft. will be gained after Archives and Library relocate back to the
11th floor in 2004.
|
Current Storage
Capacity (in square
feet) |
Size
of Collection in square feet | ||||
|
Current (2004) |
10-Yr.
Projection (2014) |
% Increase Over Current Coll. Size |
25-Yr.
Projection (2029) |
% Increase Over
Current Coll. Size | |
|
2,400 |
10,000 |
316% |
15,000
|
525% | |
ARCHIVES
|
Current Storage
Capacity (in cubic
feet) |
Size
of collection in cubic feet | ||||
|
Current (2004) |
10-Yr.
Projection (2014) |
% Increase Over Current Coll. Size |
25-Yr.
Projection (2029) |
% Increase Over
Current Coll. Size | |
|
83,000 |
76,000 |
133,000 |
75% |
188,000 |
147% |
LIBRARY
|
Current Storage
Capacity (In linear
feet) |
Size
of collection in linear feet | ||||
|
Current (2004) |
10-Yr.
Projection (2014) |
% Increase Over Current Coll. Size |
25-Yr.
Projection (2029) |
% Increase Over
Current Coll. Size | |
|
490,000
|
460,000 |
525,000 |
14% |
617,500 |
34% |
OCE
FACILITY PLANNING PROCESS
TIME TABLE
COMPLETED
ACTIONS
|
Milestones |
Date Completed |
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1. OCE Collection Stewardship Needs
Assessment |
Aug. 2003 |
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2.
Panel of
Experts meeting with OCE staff to discuss Needs
Assessment |
Sept. 24,
2003 |
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3. Panel of Experts’ Report,
including Findings and Recommendations |
Nov. 2003 |
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4. BOR Cultural Education Committee
meeting on Panel’s findings |
Dec. 2003 |
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5.
OCE
Leadership Group interviews with individual Panel members and others for
follow-up advice. |
Jan. 2004 |
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6.
Site
visits to:
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March - April
2004 |
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7.
Essential Elements for the OCE
Facility Plan |
April 23,
2004 |
NEXT
STEPS
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Milestones |
Deadline |
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1.
BOR Full
Board meeting to discuss OCE Collection Storage Planning.
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May 18,
2004 |
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2. Feasibility Study
launched |
July 2004 |
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3. Results of Feasibility Study
presented to Full Board of Regents |
Dec. 2004 |
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4. Funding strategies
developed |
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5. Marketing strategies
developed |
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