This paper reports on current research which is measuring the potential space savings that can be made if Australian academic libraries adopt the use of a national repository for the storage of legacy print collections.

There is growing international move towards federated print storage as a cost-effective and long-term solution to print storage problems, and the issue is now receiving attention in Australia. The use of a national repository is a strategy designed to optimise the effectiveness of discovery and delivery of low use print materials for research communities, plus produce substantial benefits to libraries in terms of cost and space savings.

A critical element in decisions related to the adoption of a repository solution is calculations relating to the amount of shelf and floor space that libraries might potentially retrieve for other purposes. This paper will report data derived from a collection overlap study, plus loan and holdings information drawn from several academic libraries, in an attempt to identify and measure categories of material that might form the basis of a repository and thereby allow libraries to de-duplicate with confidence.