RESOURCE CENTRE MANUAL
HEALTHLINK WORLDWIDE
3.3 Choosing furniture and equipment
3.3.1 Shelving
The resource centre will need shelves for books, reports and pamphlet boxes.
Adjustable shelves may be useful to accommodate materials of different
heights.
Shelves need to be:
• made from good materials
• strongly made
• supported approximately every metre to prevent sagging
• at least 20cm (8 inches) deep, 30–35cm (12–14 inches) apart in height, with
10–20cm (4–8 inches) between the bottom shelf and the floor to enable
them to be cleaned, and to prevent damage from flooding
• preferably without solid backs to allow maximum airflow
• preferably with a top shelf or cover to protect materials if the roof leaks
• braced (strengthened) at the back
• not too high to allow people to reach the top shelf.
Different sizes of shelving units should be selected to suit different spaces (such
as low shelving units under windows and higher units along walls, or free-
standing units in aisles).
Shelving units can often be purchased ready-made. They come in various sizes,
with a varying number of shelves per unit, in different colours and materials
(wood or metal). Alternatively, it might be possible to order shelves from a
carpenter, which would probably be less expensive and would provide local
employment.
Book supports are useful to keep books upright when the shelf is not full (see
Section 5.5.1: Shelving materials). It is possible to buy supports or make them
from wood, or to use a bean bag (cloth bag with beans or pebbles inside).
3.3.2 Display equipment
Different types of display equipment are useful for displaying different
materials.
Noticeboards, bulletin boards or pin boards are useful for displaying
information about forthcoming meetings, new materials and so on, and for
users to exchange information about topics that they are interested in. At least
one noticeboard should be placed in the resource centre. Another noticeboard
should be placed outside the resource centre to catch the interest of people
passing by, and to show resource centre opening times. Other noticeboards
could be placed in other parts of the organisation, such as the reception area,
and outside meeting rooms or training areas.
SECTION 3: SPACE, FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT
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