University libraries across the UK are joining forces to tackle the ever-growing challenge of shelf space management. With an estimated 150 million books and journals in circulation, these institutions are in a constant battle to prevent running out of room. Many universities, including Birmingham, St Andrews, Sheffield, and Cardiff, boast collections of over a million items each. For instance, Bristol's books alone occupy approximately 12 miles of shelving. The Bodleian Libraries in Oxford house over 13 million printed items, including the first folio of Shakespeare, while Cambridge University Library holds more than eight million books, journals, and other materials, including collections from Charles Darwin, Alan Turing, and Isaac Newton. However, the increasing digital shift has led to a paradox: while many students conduct research online, libraries are also dealing with a surge in monographs, research journals, and other physical materials. To address this, a new initiative called the UK Print Book Collection (UK PBC) has been launched. This initiative aims to coordinate academic stocks to ensure that rare items are not lost. Libraries participating in the UK PBC have agreed to "deaccession" a book, meaning they will sell, recycle, or discard it, only if at least seven copies are listed by other members. Analysis by the UK PBC suggests that this rule could enable libraries to reduce their stocks by between 50 and 80 percent. However, academics believe that large numbers of books will not be purged. Jane Saunders from the University of Leeds highlights the importance of preserving access for future generations, even for books that have not been taken off the shelf in 20 years. The Laidlaw Library at Leeds University, opened in 2015, is a testament to the university's commitment to maintaining its collections. Geoff Lewis, collections and discovery manager at the University of Warwick, a pilot member of the UK PBC scheme, notes that his library's shelves are nearly full, despite discarding 5,000 items each year. Joanna Little, programme manager for UK PBC, expects growing numbers of universities and smaller research libraries to sign up to the initiative. "This move to work collaboratively to safeguard long-term access to print can be seen in other countries as well — in North America and Europe," she said. The UK PBC initiative is a bold step towards ensuring that rare and valuable items are preserved for future generations, even as libraries navigate the complexities of digital transformation and physical space constraints.
