Library and archival services

What are relocation services?

Trying to maintain balance in an environment of disappearing stacks, declining budgets, and ceaseless demands for new collections is no easy task for anyone, even a skilled librarian or archivist. With every change comes new requirements; in this case, requirements to securely relocate your collection to new spaces, annexes, stacks, or even offsite with a partner like Iron Mountain.

The goal of any library move is to safely relocate your collection with care, precision, and integrity. Whether you’re moving books, bound journals, special collections, media, film, art, or myriad other media, Iron Mountain provides an auditable chain of custody for the move, ensuring that your collection is securely transported and safely delivered to its final destination—most importantly, according to your specifications.

Do I need to be located in a certain part of the country to work with Iron Mountain?

Our resources reach from coast to coast across the US and are scalable to the needs of any size collection—from large university research libraries to individual city and community libraries. Local resources provide greater efficiency, while our global footprint allows us to assist with moves of many kinds. 

Ready to make a move?

Our library and archival service specialists will be in touch.

What are storage services?

When you manage your own storage annex, you incur significant responsibilities. But in reality, you don’t actually need to own your own real estate to dedicate space to storage. As a librarian or archivist, you’re involved in recurring (and often competing) discussions about how best to develop and manage your collection, as well as how to effectively “create” more space to deliver new services for users. Our myriad storage services provide plenty of options. We’ll free up valuable real estate, during a renovation or permanently, as part of your overall storage strategy. 

Discover the power of digitization.

What are digitization services?

Digitization, or digital conversion, enables you to update primary sources that are at risk in obsolete formats that library users can’t access. Iron Mountain has industry-leading preservation capabilities and facilities that can ensure the complete protection of your digital assets.

When it comes to one-of-a-kind historical content, preservation is paramount. However, most libraries’ fluctuating temperatures and humidity are not an ideal environment for old newsprint, photographs, or audio and visual recordings. From improving accessibility to reclaiming valuable space, the benefits of digitization are many

How does digitization create new opportunities to protect and preserve original content?

Digitization improves access to everything from books and microfilm to photographs, videos, and audio tapes. Accessibility to potentially underutilized materials like these can be achieved through a digital surrogate, or an electronic backup copy, in a digitized collection.

Increasing your unique array of media is an invaluable service that you can provide for your patrons, as well as for the overall cultural record in your area, or your area of expertise.

Digitization enables scholars to cross the globe and travel through time almost instantaneously, to engage with and learn from content that was all but forgotten until it was digitally converted.

Once the content is digitized, library patrons can research resources digitally—and you can store the valuable original assets in the most ideal archival storage environment, thus protecting them for future generations.

How does digitization lead to “gaining” additional space? 

Whether you’re looking to free up space for new collections or new patron services, the decision to digitize portions of your collection can be a major “win” in the ongoing quest for usable library space.

Digitization, or digital conversion, not only increases user accessibility, but also creates much-sought-after space. You may have hesitated to move forward with the digitization of library resources in-house due to the demand it would put on your staff and resources, or simply because the costs associated with working with a scanning company were far too high.

But at Iron Mountain, we’re equipped to handle the digitization of library resources on any scale, large or small. We also have access to the equipment and the staffing needed to convert any type of content in any medium or amount.

Digitally converted, hard-copy content can then be stored offsite, opening space in the stacks and ensuring that the digitized, indexed content is stored in an ideal environment. 

When you’re ready to start the digitization process, make Iron Mountain your first call.

Our library and archival service specialists will reply as soon as possible.

We’ll meet your specific storage and service needs to manage your special collection.

What are special collection services?

Putting any part of your collection into offsite storage is a complicated process, even more so because this process often involves more than just books. Iron Mountain’s library experts will serve as your trusted advisors as you develop your plan and select the appropriate storage strategies for each different media format in your special collection.

Is every storage environment the same?

Not at all. The nature of the books and artifacts that make up a special collection require the most specific climate and humidity controls. But a climate-controlled space for a special collection is extremely limited in a library, and archival-quality offsite storage comes at a premium. That’s where our experience and scale allow us to offer you the right environmental controls for your content.

How do I balance preservation with access to items in my collection?

Your current material holdings are important to your institution—and your responsibility to maintain. However, the average weighted cost per year of housing a book in your library is already high, and doubtless will continue to rise. Your job is to weigh that cost against the portions of your collection with relatively low circulation rates, and the idea of repurposing your space makes sense. After you’ve arrived at that conclusion, that’s where we come in. 

How does digitization enhance—and protect—my special collection?

Your library’s prized special collection is important to your institution, but the necessary security and protection often limits discovery and access for users. Creating a so-called “digital surrogate” of these resources not only adds another level of preservation for a valued and unique element of your collection, but also makes special collection items more accessible to everyone in your community.

You don’t need to make sacrifices that put your special collection at risk.

Find out more about our special collection services.