Library mergers and purges, a sign of the times

By Jesse B. Staniforth. Universities are centralizing libraries and weeding out collections as they save space with digital collections and make more room for people to work together. McGill University says it didn’t close its Life Sciences Library. Instead, it says that it simply moved its low-use physical collection to other areas of campus. According to numerous librarians and other members of library staff who opposed the change, however, the relocation of physical holdings to another library 10 minutes away (and also to the university gymnasium building) is tantamount to closure. Three weeks before the September 1 start date for the move, administrators of the Facebook group “Save the McGill Life Sciences Library from closure” (with over 1,500 supporters) published a eulogy for the library that ended, dramatically, with “Rest in Peace.” More...