Administrative Services Annex
The Administrative Services Annex (ASX) is a crucial part of the Libraries building infrastructure. This secure building, located on Sullivan Drive and occupied by the Libraries since 2002, houses rare and unique materials from the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC). These collections are irreplaceable and essential to the Libraries’ mission of supporting teaching, research, and scholarly innovation. They are also vital to supporting and enriching the many outreach initiatives and events for alumni, students, and donors that are conducted each year by NC State’s colleges, departments, and centers.
Special Collections
The SCRC is actively seeking new collections and materials, constantly adding to the research value of the materials stored at ASX, with about 80% of special collections housed there. The safe and secure storage of these collections is integral to the mission of the SCRC, the University Archives, and the NC State University Libraries. The ASX is the only Libraries facility with the capacity to house the specialized shelving needed for these collections. With an overall capacity for 24,734 linear feet, it is currently 70% full.
University Archives
The SCRC houses the University Archives and other archival collections documenting NC State’s historical legacy. These materials date back to the founding of the university, and many are irreplaceable.
Staffing and Access
Libraries staff members work at the ASX on a daily basis five days per week. Collections are transported daily from the building to the D. H. Hill Jr. Library for research use in the Special Collections Reading Room, which provides a secure and monitored environment for consultation. The SCRC’s collections are used frequently in university courses. While students’ assignments are underway, materials are placed on reserve at D. H. Hill so they can work independently on their research.
Materials Processing
The ASX provides optimal space for archival processing and appraisal activities. Processing includes organizing and arranging new or existing collections and housing them in proper archival enclosures such as acid-free folders and boxes. Materials in all formats -- photographs, audio visual, and architectural materials, for example -- are rehoused to ensure their long-term preservation and storage. This work requires large, flat surfaces for architectural drawings and plans. The ASX workspace facilitates the creation of metadata describing the collections and of online finding aids, which optimize discoverability on the web.
Architectural Documents Storage
The Libraries has invested in customized shelving for architectural documents and model storage at the ASX. This has involved the installation of over 1,000 tubes for archival storage of rolled drawings and plans.