Hi Susie;

I have used Ulrich Planfiles for years and I am not a big fan of them; I much prefer our Hamilton flat cases. 

The file folders are heavy and unwieldy if they contain a lot of maps.    If they are full, the folder has to be pulled out quite a bit so a map being removed from the middle of the bunch doesn't get damaged.  Its tough on shoulders and arms if the folders are full (heavy) and also on shorter people to get up high enough to get the leverage to pull a heavy folder up out of the Planfile.  Replacing a map is also a hassle; the more maps in the individual folder, the harder it is to replace a map without damaging the bottom edge of the map. 

I agree with Heather's comment about putting similar sized maps in the same folder and also on smaller maps falling down to the bottom of the folder.

You mention having 9000 +/- maps to put in vertical plan-files.  Depending on how many maps you put in each Planfile, I suspect that you might not save much floor space, if any, over Hamilton-style flat map cases that you can stack 4-high.

If you have access to a Planfile somewhere, I would suggest that you load up a few folders with the number of maps you think you'll have in each folder and try them in the planfile.  You can see how easy/difficult they are to work with.

Cheers
Russell Guy
Omnimap

At 11:39 PM 1/8/2019, you wrote:
Susie,
Penn State has several Ulhrich plan files and like them. They do work best for items that are relatively similar sized like topo maps. There are a few different sizes so you could get some different size plan files and files similar sized maps together. Small maps could slide down into the folder and be harder to find. They are better suited for low use items.
Feel free to contact me directly.

Heather Ross
Map Specialist
Penn State University Libraries
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From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Susie Wilson <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 8, 2019 8:46 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Recommendation for vertical map storage cabinets
 
Hello all,
 
My library is looking to free up some floor space, which means I have been asked to (on very short notice) recommend a vertical model for purchase. We have a collection of ~9000 maps of various sizes, and without very high use. We’re currently in a mismatched set of flat cabinets, some of which have a tendency to crush/crumple our folders. On my quick search I came across the Ulrich Planfile 2, but if anyone has any experience/recommendations/anti-recommendations I would definitely appreciate it!
 
Thank you
 
 
Susie Wilson, MLIS
Data Services Librarian
Geoffrey R. Weller Library
University of Northern BC
250-960-6607
www.unbc.ca/library
 


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