About

The Library's Space Challenge

Books will always play a vital role in the life of the Library, but it no longer makes sense to devote a large footprint downtown to keeping print media that is not in high demand. At the same time, McGill needs to fulfill its mandate to preserve and make available deep, unusual collections for humanity. To this end, McGill Library created the McGill University Collections Centre (MUCC) at Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, just off-island. By moving a large portion of the University’s print collection to this new facility—which will be carefully climate-controlled, therefore better preserving the materials—the Library will be able to repurpose valuable in-library space to better serve the needs of today’s students, faculty, and researchers. 

McGill Libraries are severely overcrowded and face a significant demand for user and programme space. Industry norms suggest public research university libraries of a similar size to McGill should strive to provide seating for approximately 20% of their student population. With its current infrastructure, McGill currently offers appropriate seating to 9-12% of the student population, far below its academic peers, which is evidence of the current overcrowding in the Library. 51% of the Library’s system-wide space is dedicated to the physical collection. 

The 2015 Library Master Plan recommended that a portion of the Library’s, low circulating collections be moved into a purpose-built, high-density and dedicated space. In 2019 the decision was made to acquire an automated, off-campus storage facility. The 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art the MUCC holds 2.5 million volumes. Materials are housed in environmentally controlled and secure conditions and managed using an intelligent, high-density storage and retrieval system. 

Books from the McLennan-Redpath Library Complex are being moved to the McGill University Collections Centre in the Fall of 2023. The Centre will be operational in 2024. 

Users will be able to request their materials online and collect them at a campus library location. Delivery from the McGill University Collections Centre is projected to be once daily (five days per week).