Five College Library Repository Collection

In the late 1990s, Amherst College acquired “the Bunker,” a former U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command Base built into the side of Mount Holyoke, four miles from the campus. An ideal location for off-site storage of library materials, the Bunker became home to the Five College Library Depository in November 2002 when library materials were first shipped there. In the 10,000 square feet reserved for Five Colleges, the Bunker now holds more than 500,000 volumes of materials shelved compactly by size, rather than call number.

As the Bunker approached its storage limit about a decade later, the Five College Librarians Council began to explore options for expanding the capacity of the Five College Library Depository.

In 2014, Five Colleges Board of Directors approved the acquisition of land for the construction and operation of a new storage facility to house at least two million volumes of library material. Three years later, in May of 2017, the Five College Library Annex opened in Hatfield. With 26,000 square feet of storage space, a high-density storage method is used to house the material there.  

When the Annex opened, the name “Five College Library Depository” was retired and “Five College Library Repository Collection” was adopted. The Repository Collection became the umbrella term for materials held at two locations: the Bunker and the Annex.

The Five College Library Repository Collection preserves a single print copy of selected journals available in commercially digitized collections. This trusted repository serves as a secure backup for the Five College libraries and for affiliate library members.

The Five College Library Repository Collection Affiliate Library Program currently includes these collections: ACS Legacy Archives; Royal Society of Chemistry; American Physical Society; APA Journals; Institute of Physics; JSTOR; and Project Muse.

For an annual fee, affiliate libraries gain access to a set of valuable benefits. We welcome new affiliate library members. View the sample agreement to learn more about the program benefits and fees.

The Five College Library Repository Collection (FCLRC) is governed by the Five College Librarians Council as articulated in the FCLRC policies. 

Employees of Five Colleges, Incorporated operate the two locations where the Repository Collection is housed.