No more room aboard the ark! A UK higher education perspective on space management

Purpose - This paper aims to highlight some of the ways in which UK academic libraries are responding to the increasing space pressures in both their library buildings and their external stores.Design methodology approach - A survey of academic libraries looks at current practice, with examples taken from the University of Leeds and a number of other UK universities.Findings - The paper finds that relegation of stock has become a fact of life, and withdrawal is becoming more common. It is clear that the shortage of physical space cannot be solved by institutions in isolation, and that a collective strategy is essential in order to guarantee long-term sustainable storage of low-usage material.Originality value - It is hoped that the examples discussed can help inform stock management decisions in other institutions that are starting to face storage problems.