Amusing Library Org for 2700

Realized most of the people who would be amused by this wouldn't be able to read it. Here's what happens when no affinity for the information, too much imagination, and no limits produce.

Okay, this is an entirely fictitious library. I decided to see what kind of "dream library" I could come up with and run with it. My library isn't all that esciting, nor do I know a whole lot about its workings outside my little section (and even within that there are some things, like budget, that I seem to not be cleared to know) I'm going to be playing with this thing all semester, and I wanted to have some fun. This one's kinda like a privately funded version of BGSU's Browne Library.

THaLK Library of Popular Culture

In the early 1990s, Stan Lee got together with friends and fellow comic artists Greg and George Hildebrandt, Alex Toth and Jack Kirby with the idea of forming a popular culture library from their own collections of comics, as well as some of the magazines and volumes which they had collected or with which they had been involved over the years. Centrally locating this institution in Williamsport, PA in a refurbished warehouse, they proceeded to contribute to and fundraise for a trust fund with which to fund this organization for the foreseeable future. The THaLK Library, named from the last names of its founders, is chartered to protect the popular culture heritage, focusing specifically on comics and comic book creators. Its mission concentrates on the United States, with other major countries involved in the production of these items, such as Japan, added with the consent of the Director and surviving founders.
The Library’s collection consists of almost 70,000 comic books, approximately 30,000 magazines, and 5000 reference volumes on topics relevant to the collection. More are added on a daily basis, as the Library subscribes to the major comic book and manga (English translation) producers, adding their newest output as it is released. In addition, the THaLK Library subscribes to a small number of Humanities databases, Project MUSE, JSTOR, Academic Universe, the Bibliography of Asian Studies, Literary Theory, Periodicals Archive Online, Proquest Direct, and Electronic Theses and Dissertations, for the use of the scholars who visit the library. While the specialized nature of the collection precludes a status as a general public library, although walk-ins are welcomed, the extensive span of works within the Library’s mission have gained users not only nationally but worldwide, many of whom travel to this small town in Central Pennsylvania to use the collection. Digitization is an ongoing project as well, as rights are slowly cleared, allowing use by scholars who can not make the trip.
The staff of the library consists of persons. On the professional end, there are two IT staff, one newly added to deal with digitization needs, a paper conservationist, and a metadata librarian who doubles as the copyright clearance staff. In addition there are two library technicians and two library assistants, all of whom deal with various duties around the Library, with some specialization in either conservation or cataloging, as well as two new scan technicians. All personnel work in all areas, with reference provided by whichever person happens to be free at the moment. In addition, due to the distance traveled by the library users, hours are often extended as needed, with one or two of the staff on call. Lastly, there is a receptionist who doubles as the administrative staff, and a rotating number of volunteers.
The building is also equipped with gigabyte to desktop networking and a two terabyte NAS for files in use. The new digital file server contains a raided array of 750 GB drives, for a total usable drive space of 4.1 TB, and runs CONTENTdm to serve the images to distance users. PDFs of cleared works can be provided upon request, though it may take a week or so for delivery due to the small staff and needs of inhouse patrons.
The Library is used primarily by scholars in the popular culture field, from the undergraduate level to the post-doctorate and beyond. Its central location in the state, just off a major highway, allows ease of access as well for many who are merely curious about old comics. As a result, the library sees several thousand visitors per year, with spikes as the subject comes back into vogue. It is both a research and a browsing library, though the condition of some of the untreated materials puts them off limits to all but the serious scholar. The professional staff members also attend conventions and other events to teach and fundraise, as well as generally raise awareness of the institution.
Personnel salaries and benefits run $350,000 per year. The paper subscriptions run an additional $10,000, and copyright clearances for orphan volumes for digitization an additional $300,000. Conservation supplies, IT supplies (such as backup tapes), and miscellaneous costs are an additional $20,000. The building maintenance costs average approximately $20,000, for a grand total of approximately $700,000. It is expected to increase substantially as the digitization efforts move forward, especially in the copyright area. This is paid for through the trust fund, as well as the fundraising efforts of the Director, who actively seeks donations from private and grant sources.

Hope you had fun reading it. It was actually kinda fun to write. Bragging over. and out.