Library Moving in Colorado Springs

A public branch usually closes to patrons for the move, so the plan starts with the closure announcement: when the book drop stops taking returns, where holds can be picked up meanwhile, and the first day the new branch opens. Academic libraries move between terms and keep a study space open if they can. Either way, staff need a few days before the first truck to tag ranges.

Books are heavy, so we plan the carry around elevators and floor loading at both ends. Ask the building contact which elevator and loading space the truck may use, and door widths for loaded book trucks. The new stacks should be standing, braced, and inspected before the first run arrives, because collection moves stall fast when books wait in a hallway. If the building permits, runs can continue into evenings or a weekend on request.

Each run stays together from shelf to truck to shelf. Cartons are sized so books stand upright or lie flat, never fanned or wedged, and oversize folios ride flat on their own. A receiving contact checks each run's call-number tag against the range label before it is shelved, which catches a misplaced truck while it is still easy to fix.

Stack shelving moves empty. We mark each upright and shelf by range, bag clips and bracing hardware with it, and pad exposed end panels. Special collections and archives are prepared by the staff who manage them, and the crew carries their containers only as directed. At the service desk and staff workroom, staff PCs and receipt printers are unplugged, carried, and hooked back up by our crew; your technology staff bring the catalog and circulation system back online.