Back to GdC Homepage
Ligue des Bibliothèques Europeénnes de Recherche, Groupe des Cartothécaires de LIBER
TRA NSLATE ENGLISH to Français, Deutsch, Italiano, Português, Español! Explanation
© LIBER and author
Published from: LIBER Quarterly, the journal of European research
libraries, ISSN 1435-5205, Vol. 8(1998), No 2. With permission from K.G. Saur Verlag, Munich, Germany
E-mail: Jan Werner
Abstract
In 1995 the Amsterdam University Library' Maproom moved into its new quarters in the library complex. After a notable move and a period of 'trial operation' and working out teething troubles, the new Maproom officially opened on February 29, 1996. Reason enough to devote a few words to this far-reaching change
Regular users of the Map Room have no doubt noticed that the premises for the map collections in the Amsterdam University Library - including those of the Royal Dutch Geographical Society - have been very cramped for many years. This made it difficult for the Map Room to meet a number of minimal demands of proper map conservation and to provide the public with the opportunity to make optimal use of the cartographic information recorded in some 145,000 maps and 4,500 atlases, old and new.
Reorganisation has been all too familiar to the library in the last few years. One of the changes associated with this process was an almost endless series of internal moves and renovations. This was necessary for the Map Room as well. The library's need to provide the largest number of seats possible for readers, concentrated in the readily accessible primary building, forced the directors to displace the Map Room for the sake of extra reading rooms. With some concern, the map librarian examined the alternatives available. There was really only one: to move to the uppermost floor of that part of the complex that already housed a few of the other so-called research collections. This was in fact one of the advantages; it fell in line with plans to bring the research collections physically closer together to encourage more collaboration among them. But there were also great disadvantages that could only be overcome by extensive construction and renovation.
Much talking and drawing, a ready ear at Amsterdam University's Building and Accommodation Service, and finally the provision of a considerable sum of money by the board of directors, made it possible to make a virtue of the proverbial necessity. The plans for construction and renovation made it possible to realise both the principal goal (expanding the library's reading rooms) and the inevitable secondary goal, providing an appropriate new accommodation for the valuable and unwieldy map collection. In the implementation of the plans for the expansion of the Maproom, the most important goal was to improve the conservation of the map and atlas collections. In this regard, it was also necessary to make it possible for the Maproom to function better.
In the old Maproom, these aspects were being squeezed further and further into the margins. Both staff and visitors were wedged in tighter and tighter between the phalanxes of book and map cases, making it no easy task for either to carry out their work in a normal way. The shortage of space had forced the separation of various items that belonged together. The reference library had degenerated into a jumble of cases whose numbering had become impenetrable to all but the experienced staff. With whole groups of cases moved to the basement, keeping track of maps and reference works and making them available became a literally distant goal. Maps still to be catalogued lay on the only table that remained available, where the visitors also had to work.
The desperate shortage of plan-cabinets could not be met because there was simply no room for them. The maps had to suffer physically in overfilled filing cabinets never intended for fragile material. These mediocre storage conditions stood directly at odds with a policy of proper conservation; restoration is rather pointless unless it goes hand in hand with good storage.
But the old room also had some good points not to be lightly discarded. With the exception of the ancillary areas, there was good daylight, good supervision of the use of the materials, an effective climate control system, and within the Maproom materials had to be moved only over short distances. To meet both demands - for better conservation and for a more efficient use of space - it was necessary to judge the following aspects of the new situation and place them in a wish list for a good plan for the Map Room:
Extent of available surfaces and spaces
As noted earlier, the old Maproom suffered a severe shortage of available space after 25 years, in spite of extensions into basement stacks and additional storage capacity offered by the repository in the south-east quarter of Amsterdam. But the floor area of the new areas was not much larger. Moreover, any improvement would require that many items be made more readily available and stored in more spacious surroundings. In short, even without additional demands, the compacted contents of the Map Room would expand enormously when aisles were expanded to normal width, cases made accessible, and so on. But there were additional legitimate demands. The contents of the overflow stacks in the basement needed to be reunited with the map division. The directors had also long been convinced that conditions for the conservation of the material would be hopeless unless a large portion of the collection could be transferred to good quality plan-cabinets. As everyone who cares for maps knows, this reduces the storage capacity relative to the floor area so much that the same quantity of maps requires four or five times as much space. It was clear from the beginning that this could not be achieved for a large portion of the collection.
The head librarian was willing, however, to clear about 85 m2 of adjoining book stacks on the same floor, to provide plan-chest storage for some 10,000 very valuable and/or fragile maps. That would also provide some flexibility to accommodate the growth of the collection in the future. It was also evident that the available floor space would leave only an impracticable space of about 25 m2 for the staff, for the consultation of the material, and for the reference collection, that is, for the Maproom itself. Sufficient space could be obtained only by an extension of the building itself. This was technically feasible, because an adjoining flat concrete roof of 64 m2 was available. The decision to resolve the space problem by accepting this expensive option was an important breakthrough in the discussions.
Functional-spatial divisions, spatial efficiency
Whereas the old map division comprised rather rectangular, undivided spaces in which all functions were united, the new situation brought more complicated divisions and interconnections: halls, doors, supporting columns, and compartments. The division into so many units threatened to wipe out all the advantages of the greater amount of space. When planning nice rows of cases in an optimal configuration, the numerous concrete columns were an obstruction time and again. They could also interfere with the proper supervision of the use of maps and atlases in the room. For the sake of conservation, there was a desire to make a division (previously non-existent) between storage areas on the one hand, and consultation and work area(s) on the other. This would also allow the various spaces to be "tailor made" for their intended functions. Thanks to the extensive rebuilding, many of the problems could be solved or at least alleviated.
Given that proper supervision, the dimensions of the materials to be transported and consulted, and clear lighting required at least the areas for the consultation of materials to be a single unbroken space, the extension and adjoining existing space were devoted to the Maproom itself. At little extra cost, the roof could be constructed in such a way that no further columns were needed. In this way, a spacious and convenient L-shaped room took form, keeping staff and visitors in eye-contact and leaving enough room for a well-arranged reference library and shelves for flat storage of the most frequently used atlases. The office of the map librarian -between the Maproom and the stacks, and separated by a glass wall- provides not only a pleasant and convenient place for meetings, but if necessary also a fully monitored location where extremely valuable items can be consulted and kept for a short time.
After passing through a hall next to the map librarian's office, we come to the stacks, accessible only to staff. Even though a large portion of the map collection is modern, there were sufficient reasons to keep the entire collection 'under lock and key'. In addition to the maps and atlases, the old reference collection and the atlases that had been housed in the Maproom were moved there. This was logistically and administratively the simplest solution. Only the items that were removed for the sake of the now streamlined reference collection (10% or so) require administrative attention. The result is that the least used and/or most valuable and fragile documents remain in the stacks, under their old shelf-marks. This proved the most adequate solution from the point of view of functionality and conservation.
With an eye on the unhampered internal transport of large maps and heavy atlases, it was important not only to consider the configuration of the rooms in relation to each other, but to house everything on the same floor. This was carried out remarkably well, in spite of the irregular structure of the various parts of the library complex. For the transport of large and heavy items within the department, the Map Room has trolleys that can access all parts of the collection.
Storage system
Anyone delving into the history of the collection is confronted with images of portfolios, shelves, and wooden plan-cabinets. Until the clearing of the former supplementary repository "Ceres", where the Maproom was located until the 1960s, the vestiges of these were still to be found there. In those days, it must have required already an enormous investment to house the continually growing map collection in a modern storage system. It is quite understandable that the library then -in order to use space as efficiently as possible- chose a compact system that could store the largest possible number of maps in as few square meters as possible, without giving up an optimal accessibility. They chose a system that stored the maps vertically in (Pohlschröder) cabinets, each containing 35 hanging portfolios that were easily accessed from above.
But soon after the introduction of this system -the Maproom had meanwhile moved to the Singel complex- the shortage of space forced them to depart further and further from the rules for use prescribed by the manufacturer. The cabinets were filled beyond capacity, heterogeneous materials were stored together, leading to less coherence, and even from the beginning, far too much valuable and fragile material was stored in this way. In static conditions, these problems were admittedly not so bad, but a growing collection in constant use suffers serious and unacceptable damage in this way.
For the 10,000 or so selected maps, it was necessary to find another sort of storage system. In order to transfer the maps stored in the Pohlschröder cabinets without further folding, the new plan-cabinets had to have minimum dimensions of 130 x 90 cm, preferably somewhat larger to accommodate new folders for the maps. No standard plan-cabinet was available with the desired dimensions. It turned out that the Magista firm in Roden (Province of Drenthe) was able and willing to develop the most suitable cabinet. It was based on common materials and parts that had already proven their suitability in practice. The construction had to be tailored to the shallow drawers, the large dimensions, and the desired capacity of 25 drawers per cabinet. Thirteen of these cabinets were supplied: twelve to be placed in the specially allocated stacks, and one in the Map Room for temporary storage of maps being processed. The existing Pohlschröder cabinets simply remain in use, though less tightly packed as a result of the removal of fragile maps. Even the remaining maps will be given more space to allow conservational steps such as the provision of acid free folders.
The books and atlases also provided their share of problems, albeit less fundamental ones. Since much of the current stacks previously provided compact storage for books in folio format, there were numerous shelves left over with a depth of 50 cm. Many of these had been converted into rolling compact shelving with an enormous capacity relative to the floor area. It was decided to retain 1/3 of the rolling shelving to house the extensive old reference collection, along with the many atlases previously kept in the old Maproom (including many multi-volume atlases of the 17th and 18th centuries, bound volumes of sheet-maps, and other special plate books). Inventive stack-personnel also managed to make extra shelves with a depth of 60 cm by combining surplus 30 cm shelves. This allowed for the flat storage of many atlases that previously had to be stored standing. The physical aspects of the books and atlases -carefully planned- were quickly solved; the administrative consequences will continue to be felt for a long time.
Climate control and the provision of light
One of the most fundamental deficiencies of the spaces provided was the inadequate climate control. The stacks were far from optimal, and the former personnel rooms of the Computing Services Department, badly insulated and with windows and external doors, were even worse. A plan for better climate control was made in consultation with and executed by specialists from the Building and Accommodation Service. The stack areas were provided with a powerful air-conditioning system, and an extra 15 cm insulating wall was added to the interior side of all exterior walls and windows. The Maproom itself was connected to the existing air-circulation system with a somewhat larger tolerance, as used in the other reading rooms. Special double-glazing and extra sun-screens would keep extreme temperatures within acceptable limits. In the supplementary stacks, the existing air-conditioning system was expanded as part of a thorough adaptation of that building. The temperature is set at 18° C with a relative humidity of 50%.
The various rooms presented widely differing demands regarding the nature and intensity of the lighting. Where was daylight necessary and where was artificial lighting sufficient; what sort of lighting was needed? Too much (harmful) light is at variance with conservation; too little light, a colour cast, or artificial light interferes with the optimal study of maps. In order to provide good daylight for the readers and staff in the Maproom itself, the new part of the facility was built with a glass wall across the entire north side. Moreover, skylights were installed in a part of the roof that was sloped to avoid throwing too much undesired shade on the Lutheran Church/University Auditorium, providing daylight from above. To prevent, or at least minimize, direct sunlight from the side, vertical panels were added sticking out perpendicular to these windows. The double-glazing has an extra coating that admits (practically) no ultra-violet light. The windows on the sunny west side were kept to modest dimensions and provided with an even greater sun-screening capacity. All other rooms, including the stacks, are wholly or partly dependent on artificial lighting. Low-UV fluorescent lighting is installed there to prevent, as far as possible, the fading or yellowing of paper and book spines.
Furnishings and special facilities
Besides being old and in a bad condition, the furnishings in the old Map Room, however ingeniously, had had to be adapted time and again to the chronic shortage of space. The new Maproom had to recover the lost functionality and clarity. All of the furnishings were replaced and modernized. There was space again to fit in, besides the low reading table, a spacious high table with adjustable stools, suitable for consulting maps either sitting or standing. The reading table has room for four people, the map table for four to six, depended on the space needed. The furnishings are arranged to allow the electrical technicians to plan cables for the computer network and electricity at an early stage, in such a manner that the power points and connections fall exactly under the reading and map tables. Ideal for the modern map user wishing to make use of a computer.
That part of the room intended for the staff is separated from the rest by a spacious counter. This counter has much electronic gadgetry built in, including computer connections, intercom, alarm, and telephone connections. An extra large desk in this part of the room makes the cataloguing of maps physically much easier than it was. The large plan-cabinet two steps away contains the maps to be catalogued as well as those being processed in some other way. It also contains maps reserved for readers, and those to go back to the stacks or to the repro-division. The open nature of this part of the room allows optimal supervision and communication. Meetings can be held in the librarian's office behind it, which is separated from it by a glass wall.
The reference collection, comprising the most frequently consulted and not so rare books and atlases (including many facsimile publications), is housed in ten 40 cm cases for books stored upright and seven 60 cm units for books stored flat (mostly atlases and plate books). All of these are placed in a triangular space next to the reading area, with the smaller books nearer to the reading table and the larger atlases nearer to the map table. The arrangement has to be obvious enough that the most important literature and atlases can be found quickly without even consulting the computer or the old subject catalogue. The old card catalogue for the maps and books still remains indispensable. It occupies a place against the wall, near the entrance and the reading table. The long-standing desire to keep the most recent issues of cartographic journals on open shelves could finally be fulfilled thanks to the new possibilities.
The Xerox photocopier for making large black and white copies of material in sheet form (up to A0 size), previously crammed into the corner of a full landing, now stands in the Maproom, with a table across from it for the items copied or to be copied.
Location, accessibility, and security
As for the location, there was no alternative. The new Map Room, like the old one, is somewhat oddly placed: yet again on the uppermost floor, and even further away from the entrance. Fast and lightly-used lifts, beyond the coat room, nevertheless bring the visitor comfortably to the Maproom in building E.
Fig. 1. Plan of the Map Room and stacks of the Library of the University of Amsterdam
The current location is partly dictated by the effort to bring the University Library's research collections closer together. Concentrating them in one building makes security easier. Stacks with similar requirements from the point of view of conservation now stand close together. There have long been some atlases not housed with the map collections. Previously, an atlas to be brought to the map division from the central stacks or the Rare Book Department had to cross through the entire library. Now that is much simpler matter.
Under pressure from cost-cutting and security, the access to the collection is more restricted than in the past, but this proves little problem in practice. The Map Room's opening hours have been further cut back to Tuesday through Friday afternoons from 1 to 5 pm. If necessary, visits at other times can be arranged by appointment. Registration is required, jackets and bags are prohibited and must be left in the coat room. Even during normal hours, one may find the door locked due to occasional staffing shortages, but in these cases it will be opened for you when you announce yourself via the intercom. This is one of the many visible and invisible facilities introduced for the sake of security. Whereas many rare items formerly stood accessible to the public, the new arrangement of the stacks and reference collection makes a clear distinction between every-day items and rare and valuable works. Here too, the disadvantages for the visitor appear greater than they really are: the proximity of the stacks to the Map Room is such that the desired maps, atlases, or books are almost immediately available.
Design and finish
The design and furnishings have received special attention. How the new extension has been added to the building is made clearly apparent. The steel-core wooden beams supporting the new construction, are coated with a transparent varnish and appear prominently in the interior. The wood appears again in several other elements: the beech counter, chairs, and table-edges strengthen the unity. In consideration of the multi-colour nature of maps and atlases, the rest of the room has been executed in a neutral but distinguished manner: black, white, and grey predominate. A solid anthracite-grey carpet helps to damp sounds while providing serenity and unity. The brick walls of the existing building leave no question as to which part of the library complex one is in. The counter combines form and function in an attractive manner, making a clear division, but with a transparent structure and a spacious passage to the librarian's office.
To display something of the University Library's valuable cultural treasures amid all this newness, a prominent place in the middle of the room has been reserved for the famous Blaeu atlas case. This piece of furniture contains the nine-volume Atlas Maior and the two townbooks published by Joan Blaeu in 1664. Safely placed on an elevated platform and under the watchful eye of staff and a video camera, it sits on a distinguished throne above the day to day activities. At an appropriate distance from direct sunlight, a wall panel has been made suitable for the short-term exhibition of one of the many ancient wall maps stored in the stacks.
The stack areas have hardly changed in outward appearance, especially not for aesthetic reasons. Indeed, the library has gone so far as to keep the existing carpeting and the old furnishings, in which the rather sombre brown and beige from the 1970s predominate. Only where an extra insulating wall had to be added in front of an existing wall has pure white wallpaper been used. The money saved on these aspects went to benefit the appearance of the public areas. This made it possible to give the new Map Room a representative atmosphere that invites study and research.