Library archives relocate to old Bookworm

By Monica Kreber

kreberm@mytjnow.com

Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.com • Currently, Dacus employs nine rooms to house the archives, including spare closets. With the move to a bigger location, exhibition and storage of articles, as well as public access will become much easier. Since coming to Winthrop in 1986, Gina White has seen the Winthrop archives move locations twice inside the library.

Now, she’s witnessing it make another move — this time off campus.

This spring will present a new adventure for White, director of Winthrop archives, when the Winthrop archives move out of Dacus Library and into Winthrop’s former bookstore, The Bookworm. 

White said the archive collections are running out of space in the library’s basement.

“We have taken over every closet and extra space,” she said. “We’re getting to a point where we just can’t take anymore.”

Mark Herring, dean of library services, said as a consequence of having limited space for the Winthrop archives in the library, they have resorted to keeping many collections in boxes and separate places. By moving to the former Bookworm, the archives will have more storage space, more display space, and more availability to visitors.

“We’ve always had too many collections for the space we have for archives,” Herring said.

White added that the archives have expanded to other parts of the library.

“We have nine rooms total if you count all the closets,” she said.

Herring said, if the archives were to move into the now empty Bookworm today, it would fill up at least one-third of the building. The new building will not only have more display room, but it will provide easier access for the public; right now, visitors have to find parking on Winthrop’s campus and then make their way to Dacus’s basement in order to get to the archives, whereas the Bookworm has its own parking lot and is located at the corner of Cherry Rd. and Charlotte Ave. The new building will also provide the archivists a chance to collaborate more easily with partners in Rock Hill.

With the help of librarians, people interested in archived information can find manuscripts, special or rare books and even family history. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.comHerring and White also said it will be more available to researchers.

“We have researchers from all over the world,” White said. “We are global.”

The archive collection is expected to start moving by mid- to late-March. The full occupancy of the former Bookworm (which will be called the Louise Pettus Archives & Special Collections at Winthrop University) should be completed over the summer.

Herring said moving the archives out of the library will also be beneficial to Dacus. He said Winthrop is looking into instigating 24-hour access to the library – not to the entire three floors, but to a significant portion. He also said the library would like to have more group study rooms and private, individualized study rooms.

“We’re hoping to add that between now and the fall to provide greater accommodations,” Herring said. “We’re trying to make adjustments in this building so we can fulfill the needs of 21st century research and studies until such a time when we can move to a new building.”

Herring said construction of the new Winthrop library should have started several years ago but has not been able to occur because of the economy.

“We have presented the idea to the state legislator every year that I’ve been here,” he said. “It has not been a good time economically.”

Moving the archives out of the library will therefore make Dacus more accommodating until construction of a new library can begin.

White said moving the archives will come with some challenges.

“I feel like we are going to be closed to researchers for at least four weeks,” she said, “and that may be optimistic.”

White added that visitors will temporarily not be able to access the archives.

“If they needed something really badly we probably could find it,” she said. “I’m hoping not to be totally closed until April; usually by then most people have gotten their research out of the way. But, if someone has a question, it is ok to give me a call and I might know the answer without looking it up.”

Herring said there will also be a staff reassignment.

“It will mean we’ll all be stressed really thin,” he said, “but it has to be done.”

Changes occurring within the building include expenses going toward carpet, paint and furniture, but Herring said the new building already has most of what the archives need.

“Libraries are all about recycling,” he said. “And, of course, it’s the archives, so if the couch is 100 years old, it’s all the better.”

Herring said the move to the new Lousie Pettus Archives and Special Collections at Winthrop University building is an “unconditional positive” and there is no real downside to the event.

“It is a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “We see it as a (chance) to showcase these collections – lots of fascinating collections and things we really can’t show. We’ll have lots of things to exhibit with easy access.”