Only 26 libraries provided information on total operating expenditures. In 16 libraries, expenditures for utilities, maintenance, and other building costs are part of the institution's capital budget. Twenty-two libraries reported having onsite staff at their storage facilitiesusually support staff and students. Fourteen very large facilities are managed by a professional staff member. Library patrons seeking to use materials stored offsite request them electronically or in person at a circulation desk.
Primary access is through retrieval and delivery of the physical object.
Depending on demand and the distance between campus and storage facility, some libraries support two or three deliveries a day during the regular academic year to ensure rapid access to collections. For many libraries the target for delivery is 24 hours. For geographic reasons, distant facilities usually offer a turnaround time of two working days. The majority of ARL libraries use secondary storage facilities. While these are first and foremost a strategic response to space crises, they have other strategic advantages.