To reply to Angie's question on any more recent articles on map room/spaces planning, check into Journal of Map & Geography Libraries , I know we published an article by Greg March a few years ago about his process of moving the collection at Univ. of Tennessee using architectural drawing software as an effective planning tool, he might very well have addressed planning for aisle widths between map cabinets.
Paige
From: "Joel Kovarsky" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 10:03:08 AM
Subject: Re: Best Practices - Aisle Width between map cases
There is some general discussion here: http://www.ala.org/tools/ada-and-libraries . From that site:
"8.1 General. In addition to the requirements of section 4, the design of all public areas of a library shall comply with 8, including reading and study areas, stacks, reference rooms, reserve areas, and special facilities or collections."
They also indicate a preference for at least 42 inch spaces, but I am unsure as to enforcement and would gather that this only applies to new construction/renovation.
Joel
On 8/3/16 9:40 AM, Angela R Cope wrote:
I'm searching through the Maps-L archives to see if we've talked about this before. There is lots of talk of how high to stack map cabinets and then finding reference to the space and equipment article from 1961. Is there a newer article on map library space planning than this one: Map Libraries: Space and Equipment by Catherine I. Bahn, SLA Geography & Map Division Bulletin , v. 46, pp. 3-17 (1961)
Does it say anything in the 1998 Map librarianship : an introduction by Mary Lynette Larsgaard?
Best of luck.
Angie
From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Joel Kovarsky <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 7:02 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MAPS-L] Best Practices - Aisle Width between map cases
I have a question. Is any decision here in the USA impacted by library compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act? I gather most of the distances being discussed comply with that standard, but is there an exemption for stacks not used by most public clients?
Joel Kovarsky
On 8/3/16 12:39 AM, Brendan Whyte wrote:
BQ_BEGIN
We've just installed 10,000 drawers of 1m deep bespoke US-made cases (with proud handles additional to the 1m depth) in a compactus with 1.01m aisles (case front to case front, ignoring handles).
A standard sized user [i.e. non-obese/non-American] can stand behind the open drawer to remove/reshelve maps, and the drawers themselves are less deep than the 1m cabinet, so can be removed from the cases by two people, one each side of the drawer.
The aisle width was intended to allow drawers to be physically removed/replaced, but still maximise rows of cases and minimise aisle width. (and fit sensibly in our stack space which is studded with pillars).
Brendan Whyte
National Library of Australia
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Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2016 02:26:04 +0000
From: Kathy Stroud <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Best Practices - Aisle Width between map cases
All,
It seems I've seen this somewhere but I can't locate it. Is there a best practice distance for placing map cases facing each other (what's the aisle width between map cases with drawers opening facing each other?) We're going through re-envisioning our map space and I'll hoping for numbers to add weight to my estimates. I already know that a 40" aisle is not going to be adequate for a 40" deep map case. It would be impossible to get drawers in and out when needed and be difficult to work around fully opened drawers. My gut feeling tells me that 48" is the minimum and 56" would be ideal. This is an area that is open access to patrons so it's not just the librarians that need to be able to maneuver in the space.
Anyone have any authoritative sources?
Thanks in advanced,
Kathy
BQ_END
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