Moving fragile materials: Shrink-wrapping at penn state

Faced with the challenge of moving large numbers of materials to a distant storage site to solve a critical shelving shortage problem, staff members at the Pennsylvania State University’s Pattee Library elected to employ the shrink-wrapping technique to safely transport targeted portions of materials which were seriously embrittled. Activities preceding project implementation involved preparation of the remote site, conducting an assessment of the collection, investigating shrink-wrapping applications, and product selection. The article focuses on the actual process involved in shrink-wrapping 47,000 brittle items over a six-month period. Issues discussed include staff training, labor and materials costs, problems encountered and their subsequent solution.