Invited guests were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the McGill University Collections Centre in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield at its official opening Oct. 1.
In addition to being climate- and humidity-controlled and boasting LEED gold certification, the Centre is believed to be the only library system in the world using the revolutionary AutoStore© system, which features advanced robotics and a two-storey-high storage grid that dominates much of the building. The system is already used by two archives: the United Arab Emirate Archives and the FBI Archives.
The Centre’s state-of-the-art infrastructure opens a new era for Quebec libraries in the areas of collection preservation and sustainability.
More than a storage facility
The new location is home to 2.38 million items – about 60 per cent of McGill University Libraries’ physical collection – and will serve as a new hub for book storage and retrieval. Requested items are delivered to campus libraries or to offices of faculty members with a one-day turnaround between request and delivery; the Centre itself is not open to library users.
“The McGill University Collections Centre is more than a storage facility,” said Guylaine Beaudry, Trenholme Dean of Libraries, McGill University. “It holds materials that have shaped our understanding of the world since McGill Libraries began collecting books in 1845.
“This transformational project ensures that this knowledge remains accessible to our community and users across the country and beyond – now and for generations to come.”
Space to be freed up on campuses
The space freed up in the McGill Libraries will provide an opportunity to create more of the spaces students have been requesting.
“This newly available space will be transformed into user-focused areas, designed for service delivery, study and collaborative activities, creating diverse environments for students and scholars,” said Christopher Manfredi, Provost and Executive Vice-President (Academic).
Eventually, up to 450,000 items will make their way back to the downtown campus.
A celebration of success
The Centre has been operating since June and is processing up to 800 item requests per week. The grand opening event marked the culmination of a project many years in the making and provided an opportunity to thank the countless individuals who contributed to its success.
Special guests included McGill staff and administrators, the mayor of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, as well as donors, stakeholders, and librarians from as far away as New Brunswick.
“It’s impossible to name all those who participated in this project,” said Beaudry in her closing statement. “Thank you, a thousand times over. Without you, this would not have been possible.”
Two donors were given the honour of naming three of the facility’s energy-efficient robots: Louise Robertson, retired McGill librarian, and Don Walcot, Immediate Past Chair of the Friends of the McGill Library, named the robots Roben, Donny, and Tommy, after loved ones.
The McGill University Collections Centre by the numbers
- The Centre is 45,000 square feet.
- It contains over 95,000 storage bins stacked two storeys high, served by six robots.
- Delivery is available five days a week to library locations, and to faculty offices by request.
- Five full-time staff members work at the Centre.
- It took three years to review and prepare the 2.38 million items for transfer.
- Moving the materials took 140 days.
Learn more about the McGill University Collections Centre.