Stacks debate
From LibraryWiki
The Closed Stacks Debate
Summary: An issue worth further study/ discussion in the field of library science is the concept and implementation of closed bookstacks.
Advantages of closed library stacks include: less theft, greater consistency of books being in their proper places on the shelf, less likelihood of vandalism.
Disadvantages include: the impossibility of physically browsing the collection, which hampers serendipitous discovery and greater time required to gain access to materials, thereby falling short in a core principle of library science: access to information.
--Jim 19:47, 10 August 2006 (EDT)
