Best Practices for Moving Libraries While Keeping Collections Organized
Moving a library presents a challenge that most commercial relocations do not: getting everything safely to the new building is only part of the job. Thousands of books, reference materials, periodicals, archives, media, furniture, technology, and specialty collections must arrive while maintaining an organizational system that may have taken decades to build.
That is why a successful library relocation requires a professional moving strategy built around the collection itself. When Burgess Moving & Storage is hired to handle a library move, our job is not to simply fill boxes and load trucks. We develop a coordinated process for packing materials in sequence, labeling them clearly, transporting them carefully, and delivering them to the appropriate areas of the new facility. Library employees provide the institutional knowledge about how the collection is organized and where it needs to go; we handle the demanding physical work required to get it there.
This division of responsibilities can make the entire relocation far less stressful for librarians, administrators, teachers, and other employees. Instead of asking staff members to become movers, our team manages the logistics while working from the collection and destination information the library provides.
We Begin With a Library-Specific Moving Plan
No two libraries are organized exactly alike. A public library may contain adult fiction, children’s collections, reference materials, periodicals, multimedia, local history collections, and administrative areas. A school or university library may have separate academic disciplines, reserves, archives, study areas, technology, and special collections. Before packing begins, we need to understand how those areas relate to one another.
Our library moving plan starts with the physical scope of the project. We evaluate the amount of material being moved, shelving configurations, furniture and equipment, building access, loading areas, elevators, stairs, parking, destination access, temporary storage requirements, and other logistical considerations. Library representatives provide information about classification systems, collection boundaries, restricted materials, priority areas, and the intended layout at the new location.
From there, we can develop a packing and moving sequence around the library’s needs. Instead of treating the project as one large collection of boxes, we approach it as an organized commercial relocation in which each section has an origin, sequence, and destination.
We Pack the Collection in an Organized Sequence
One of the greatest concerns during moving a library collection is maintaining shelf order. If books are removed randomly and packed without a consistent system, library employees could spend days or weeks rebuilding the collection after the move.
Our crews pack materials according to the library’s existing organization. Library staff tells us how the collection is classified and identifies important collection divisions. We then use that information to maintain the established sequence as materials come off the shelves. Depending on the facility, that could mean following Dewey Decimal numbers, Library of Congress Classification, alphabetical sequences, subject areas, archival identifiers, or another established system.
Cartons can be labeled and sequenced according to their origin and destination so that the organization follows the collection throughout the move. For example, cartons from a specific shelf range can remain together and be identified for a corresponding area at the destination. This allows our moving crew to know not only that a carton belongs in “the library,” but which part of the library it belongs in.
That distinction is essential. Professional library movers should make the new facility easier to organize, not leave employees facing a room filled with unidentified boxes.
We Give Special Collections the Attention They Require
Rare books, archives, historical materials, fragile volumes, manuscripts, and unique institutional collections may require additional precautions. The library’s staff, archivist, curator, or preservation specialist remains the authority on the significance and specific conservation requirements of those materials. Our role is to make sure those requirements are incorporated into the physical relocation plan.
For example, the library can identify collections that should be segregated from general circulation materials, require specialized containers, or need additional care during handling. We can then keep those materials separate from the standard workflow and make sure crews understand their designated handling and destination requirements.
At Burgess Moving & Storage, we know that proper handling is one of the most effective ways to help preserve collection materials and specifically advises against pulling books from shelves by the top of the spine.
For exceptionally rare or conservation-sensitive materials, the library may establish handling requirements with its preservation professionals before the move. We can then coordinate the physical relocation around those instructions. This gives specialized materials the attention they deserve without forcing library staff to manage the general moving process themselves.
We Coordinate Books, Shelving, Furniture, and Equipment
A commercial library relocation involves considerably more than books. Depending on the facility, we may also be moving desks, tables, chairs, circulation stations, book carts, office furniture, computers, printers, displays, cabinets, and other equipment.
The order in which those items move matters. There is little advantage to delivering hundreds of cartons of books to an area where the shelving is not ready. By understanding the destination layout beforehand, we can coordinate the physical move so that furniture, equipment, shelving-related work, and collections arrive in a practical sequence.
Library administrators or IT personnel will generally remain responsible for decisions involving library software, networks, databases, and the technical disconnection or installation of specialized systems. Our team coordinates the physical movement of approved equipment with the rest of the relocation.
This coordinated approach means employees are not left trying to manage movers, boxes, furniture, technology, and collection organization simultaneously. Burgess Moving & Storage handles the moving operation while the library team remains focused on the institutional decisions only they can make.
We Can Provide Temporary Storage When Timing Changes
Facility schedules do not always cooperate with moving schedules. Construction may take longer than expected, new shelving may not be ready, renovations may be completed in phases, or a library may need to vacate its current space before every section of the new facility is available.
In those situations, our temporary storage solutions can provide additional flexibility. Rather than forcing the library to find somewhere to place packed materials at the last minute, storage can be incorporated into the relocation plan. Collections, furniture, or equipment can be staged until the appropriate destination space is ready.
Organization remains important during storage. We maintain the identification and sequencing established during packing so that temporarily stored materials can continue through the relocation process without losing their relationship to the collection.
For preservation-sensitive materials, libraries should communicate environmental requirements before storage arrangements are finalized. Temperature, relative humidity, light exposure, cleanliness, and storage location can affect the long-term condition of books. This is particularly important when rare or fragile materials are involved.
We Deliver Materials Where They Need to Go
A library move can become stressful very quickly if hundreds of well-packed cartons are simply unloaded into one large room. That may technically complete transportation, but it transfers an enormous sorting problem to library employees.
Our goal is different. Before delivery, we work from the destination information supplied by the library so our crews know where different collections and materials belong. Destination zones, rooms, floors, or shelf ranges can correspond with the identification system used during packing.
As cartons come off the truck, they can therefore be directed toward their designated areas rather than creating one massive pile. Keeping sequential materials together makes the final organization and reshelving process substantially more manageable.
This is one of the most important advantages of hiring an experienced commercial moving company for a library relocation. The move is planned backward from the desired result: an organized new library. Every stage, from packing through delivery, supports that objective.
We Help Minimize Disruption and Staff Stress
Moving thousands of books is physically demanding and time-consuming. Asking librarians, teachers, administrators, or other employees to pack an entire collection while continuing to perform their regular responsibilities can create unnecessary stress and disruption.
Hiring Burgess means the library staff does not have to become the moving crew. Employees can concentrate on communicating collection priorities, serving patrons or students for as long as possible, preparing systems for the new facility, and making decisions about the new space while we handle packing and moving.
For libraries that cannot close for an extended period, we can also discuss a phased library relocation strategy. Certain collections or operational areas may be moved first while others remain accessible longer. Priority areas at the destination may be delivered earlier so staff can begin preparing them for reopening.
Planning early gives everyone more options. The California Moving & Storage Association recommends scheduling movers well in advance so appropriate crews and equipment can be reserved, particularly during busy moving periods. For a specialized commercial project such as a library, advance coordination also gives us time to understand the collection, destination, access requirements, and desired moving sequence.
The result is a move in which library employees know what we need from them without being expected to manage the physical relocation themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions About Professional Library Moving
A professionally managed library move should reduce the workload on employees, not add to it. These common questions help clarify how we can work with library administrators and staff throughout the relocation.
How will Burgess keep our books in order during the move?
We begin with the organizational information provided by the library and build the packing and moving process around it. Our crews can pack books in their existing sequence, identify cartons according to collection sections and destination areas, and keep related materials together during transportation and unloading. This helps preserve the organizational structure from the old facility to the new one.
Will our librarians have to pack the collection?
If professional packing is included in your moving services, our crews handle the physical packing. Library employees primarily need to provide the information we cannot determine ourselves, such as collection divisions, classification requirements, restricted materials, special handling instructions, and destination priorities. This allows your staff to remain focused on library operations instead of spending days packing and lifting books.
Can Burgess move the library in phases?
Yes, a phased approach may be appropriate when a library needs to maintain partial operations or when sections of the destination become available at different times. We can coordinate the physical move around an agreed schedule, moving designated collections, furniture, and equipment in stages rather than requiring everything to relocate at once.
What happens if our new library is not completely ready?
Temporary storage may provide a solution when the destination is delayed or only partially available. We can incorporate storage into the overall moving plan and maintain the identification system used for packed materials so that they remain organized until delivery can continue. Preservation-sensitive collections should be discussed in advance so any specific environmental or handling requirements can be considered.
Move Smarter With Burgess Moving & Storage
A library has spent years building and organizing its collection. Moving should not undo that work. With professional planning, packing, sequencing, transportation, and destination coordination, we can help protect both the physical materials and the organizational structure that makes the collection usable.
Burgess Moving & Storage was established in 1983 and has remained under the same ownership ever since. We have built our reputation on integrity, professionalism, and taking care of our customers and employees. As a family-oriented company, we strive to exceed our customers’ expectations regardless of the size or complexity of the moving challenge.
From our central location in Riverside, we serve customers throughout Southern California, from the desert to the beach. Our capabilities include commercial moving, professional packing services, temporary storage, long-distance moving, and relocations extending across state lines or internationally. We hold applicable California licensing and a Federal DOT number, supporting our ability to handle moving needs that extend well beyond a local relocation.
If your public library, school, university, business, government agency, or organization is preparing to relocate a collection, let us handle the physical move while your team focuses on the library itself. Call 951-682-4300 or request a free quote from Burgess Moving & Storage to start planning a professional library relocation designed to keep your collection organized and make the transition as stress-free as possible.