The units, located in Hiebert Library on the main FPU campus, were purchased mostly through a donation from the California Mennonite Historical Society. The library and archives have a nearly 50-year working relationship with the CMHS.
The fixtures are an improvement in many ways. "A high-density system like this almost doubles the capacity within the same square footage," said Hiebert Library Director Kevin Enns-Rempel, M.A. (pictured). "The old shelves were somewhat battered wooden units, and these new metal shelves will be more durable."
The historical society funded its contribution through income from its GRANDMA Project. GRANDMA is the Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry. It is for those whose ancestors were Mennonites in Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
The shelves went up the week of January 20, 2014, and were purchased from R&J Retrieval, Pine Island, NY. Enns-Rempel estimates the new equipment will serve for decades. "The system also gives us space to properly store incoming archival records while they wait for processing. In the past these boxes tended to get stacked against walls and create a lot of clutter."