The Library Annex: Information for Visitors and FAQs

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The Library Annex is a newly-constructed facility designed for long term storage of Davidson College Library's archival and manuscript materials, special collections, and general research collection.

This facility serves as interim storage for all library collections as well as office space for collections staff during the library transformation project (2025–2027) and will be the permanent home for less frequently used library materials after the George Lawrence Abernethy Library is completed. 

Where is the Library Annex and can I visit it?

The Library Annex is located at 153 Dunmurry Road in Mooresville, just north of the Davidson College campus. 

All visits to the Annex must be arranged in advance. Please contact Liz Faubert at elfaubert@davidson.edu to schedule an appointment.

A car is required to access the Annex. When driving from campus, travel north on North Main Street/115 N, past Ridge Road and TotalBond Veterinary Hospital. The Library Annex will be on your right. If the gate is closed and you have an appointment, please contact Liz Faubert for access. Parking, including an accessible spot, is available on the property.

Can I schedule a group tour of the Library Annex?

We are happy to provide tours of the Library Annex facility, as long as they are scheduled in advance. Please contact Liz Faubert at elfaubert@davidson.edu to make arrangements.

Can I use materials onsite at the Library Annex? 

The Library Annex offers onsite space for researchers to consult materials, but visits must be scheduled in advance. Please provide at least three business days’ notice so staff can prepare and make requested items available.

Can I browse the collections at the Library Annex? 

The Library Annex is a secure facility designed to safely store and effectively manage our physical collections. Because items are arranged for efficient storage, physical browsing of the collections is not possible. Instead, learners are encouraged to use the “Browse The Shelf” feature at the top of our catalog to browse by call number, subject, or author; or, search for nearby call number items using the browsing carousel at the bottom of each bibliographic record.  

How is the Library Annex arranged? 

The Library Annex is three standalone buildings of approximately 12,000 square feet each, providing 54,000 linear feet of storage for the library’s physical collections. 

The primary Library Annex facility houses our collections and access services staff during the library construction period and also provides climate-controlled storage for our current and future special collections and archival resources. 

The second building provides deep (compact) storage for the bulk of our research collection including books, journals, audiovisual material, and government documents. The facility is designed to hold approximately 350,000 volumes and provides growth space for Davidson’s future collections. 

The third building is designed for temporary storage of materials that will return to The George Lawrence Abernethy Library on completion. Temporary shelving houses approximately 75,000 volumes of material including the Library of Congress and Oversized collection in addition to the Helen Abernethy Art Book collection. 

How are the archives and special collections organized? 

Special collections and archival resources are housed by collection type on compact shelving in a secure storage area of the Library Annex. Published materials are organized by their assigned call numbers and archival and manuscript collections are organized by their assigned resource numbers. The storage area is climate controlled according to best practices for care and preservation of these materials.

How are the books / general materials organized? 

General research materials are stored in compact shelving, arranged according to size. Shelf ranges have anywhere between five and ten shelves per unit, appropriately sized to store our largest and smallest material more efficiently. Dense storage allows us to fill shelves to their maximum capacity and support our long-term commitment to maintaining important resources for Davidson’s learning community.

Why not keep the materials in shelf order? 

Unlike our publicly-accessible library spaces, the Library Annex utilizes state-of-the-art inventory management to store and track our material. Storing physical volumes in call number order is helpful to the learner when locating material but presents numerous challenges to collection management–including wasted space due to varying book sizes, constant reshuffling to accommodate new materials, and effective inventory control. Davidson College Library opted for compact storage at the Library Annex to reduce our facilities’ environmental footprint, maximize our storage capacity, and effectively manage collections growth for decades to come. 

How do you keep track of the materials? 

Davidson College Library uses Caiasoft, an industry-leading inventory management software to track research collections and support remote library operations. General collection items in the Library Annex and their locations are scanned into Caiasoft, which works seamlessly with our library management system (Alma) and our resource sharing management software (ILLiad) to support requesting, fulfillment, and physical control of our remote resources.

The Archives & Special Collections team is in the process of implementing a specialized inventory management and booking system for their collections, which will be implemented later in the academic year. 

How can I get help exploring collections? 

The best way to explore our full collection is through the Library home page. From there, you can:

Librarians are also available for consultation appointments to help you uncover the resources you need.

All bibliographic materials are discoverable in the Library catalog and can be requested for pickup or in-house use on campus (see details below).

And remember—the Library’s collection goes far beyond books. Millions of electronic resources are available to Davidson learners through our site, ready to explore anytime, anywhere.

How can I request items from the Library Annex? 

See this Guide for information on requesting research collections for pickup or in-house use. 

Davidson College’s Physical Plant will support regular, timed delivery to the Lilly Family Gallery for general material, while Special Collections material will be made available to researchers in the Music Library by appointment. 

What if I need to request multiple materials? 

You may submit requests for multiple items via the library catalog. The Library is happy to assist with special needs (for example, making a large run of a serial available to students) on request. Contact: coursesupport@davidson.edu for general support and archives@davidson.edu for Special Collections. 

What will become of the Library Annex when the George Lawrence Abernethy Library opens? 

While the majority of our collections will return to the Abernethy Library after the renovation, the Library Annex will remain an integral part of library operations once the new Library opens. The Library Annex will remain vital storage for our legacy collections as well as processing space for our newly-received materials.