11/30/2025
When a researcher visits Hornbake Library after requesting materials from one of our collections, they are given archival boxes in our reading room. Sometimes those boxes originate from within the building, and at other times, they come from offsite storage.
Severn Library is the University Libraries' high-density storage facility, located approximately 10 minutes north of campus. Although it may appear unremarkable from the outside, this enormous white warehouse houses hundreds of thousands of books from the library's circulating collections, as well as archival materials from Special Collections and University Archives.
The warehouse, which formerly housed a Washington Post printing facility, is shared among several university departments for storage and other university services — the libraries' portion accounts for only 6.5% of the entire building. Containing over 180,000 shelves, in rows that stand 35 feet tall, the facility helps the libraries store materials securely and efficiently. You can learn more about Severn on the Libraries' website — there's even a video tour! (https://www.lib.umd.edu/visit/libraries/severn)
The shelving setup requires us to follow specific guidelines when sending materials to Severn. The most important guideline is that all items must be in some container — the film reels and books cannot be loose on the shelves, as they are in our building. Books stored at Severn are housed in trays of various sizes, while archival materials are typically stored in banker's boxes because these boxes fit best on the shelves.
With its crisp temperatures of 50-55°F and 30-35% relative humidity, Severn is an ideal location for storing film reels and videotapes. When a researcher visits Hornbake Library after requesting materials from one of our collections, they are given archival boxes in our reading room. Sometimes those boxes originate from within the building, and at other times, they come from offsite storage.
Severn Library is the University Libraries' high-density storage facility, located approximately 10 minutes north of campus. Although it may appear unremarkable from the outside, this enormous white warehouse houses hundreds of thousands of books from the library's circulating collections, as well as archival materials from Special Collections and University Archives.
The warehouse, which formerly housed a Washington Post printing facility, is shared among several university departments for storage and other university services — the libraries' portion accounts for only 6.5% of the entire building. Containing over 180,000 shelves, in rows that stand 35 feet tall, the facility helps the libraries store materials securely and efficiently. You can learn more about Severn on the Libraries' website — there's even a video tour! (https://www.lib.umd.edu/visit/libraries/severn)
The shelving setup requires us to follow specific guidelines when sending materials to Severn. The most important guideline is that all items must be in some container — the film reels and books cannot be loose on the shelves, as they are in our building. Books stored at Severn are housed in trays of various sizes, while archival materials are typically stored in banker's boxes because these boxes fit best on the shelves.
With its crisp temperatures of 50-55°F and 30-35% relative humidity, Severn is an ideal location for storing film reels and videotapes. The cool, dry climate slows the rate at which these materials decay, allowing them to remain in better condition for a longer period.
With three days' notice, Special Collections can usually have all requested materials ready and waiting for the researcher. However, with material that's stored offsite, it takes additional time to make it available in the reading room.
-- Adapted from a blog post by Rosemarie Fettig, "The Labor Audiovisual Collections: Storage at Severn."
