Funding cutbacks leave library in bind
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Ol the Emerald
Nowhere in the University are
the effects of recent budget cuts
more evident than the library.
At present the library is short
$37,000 after repaying a “loan”
received last year to pay off
debts for on-going periodicals.
In addition, the administration
has withheld another $65,000
but has given the library first
priority on any unexpected
University funds.
"I'm glad the University has
made the library one of the high
priorities and has issued public
statements in support of the
restoration of the $65,000,"
says University Librarian
George Shipman.
Like all departments, the li
brary has absorbed a
15-percent cut in supplies and
services, but the resulting
losses are great because the
library has a staff of over 130
people, Shipman says.
Besides this year’s direct
budget cuts, the library hasn't
received the funding it needs
from past legislatures, he says.
“Our library this year has
fared better than a lot of cam
puses in Oregon, but in the last
10 to 15 years, the library's
budget has not kept pace with
the rate of inflation."
The library’s acquisition bud
get for 1969-70 was $350,000,
and for 1979-80 it was $1.1 mil
lion — a 214-percent increase.
"Even with a growth rate of
214 percent, the acquisition
budget only bought 28,000
items in 1979-80, as compared
to 29,882 in 1969-70,” Shipman
says.
And if the library continues to
be funded at the same level,
“we’ll have no new (book) title
money. It’ll all go to pay for
on-going committments (per
iodicals).
“An academic institution is
sustained by the influx of new
ideas, concepts and theories
contained in these publica
tions,” Shipman says.
“The research conducted by
students and faculty in a com
prehensive University requires
that the library purchase broad
ly and in depth in all disci
plines.”
The current budget situation
has made this impossible, Ship
man says. However, the library
is planning to review all per
iodical titles in an attempt to
cancel periodical subscriptions
that aren’t urgently needed.
The plan will enable tne li
brary to cancel subscriptions
without going through the entire
periodicals collection each
time, Shipman says.
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Page 10
BUDGET
Without new book money, the
library faces major problems.
If no money is available for
new materials during the school
year, the library will be forced to
purchase books after they have
gone out of print, Shipman says.
But publishers don’t keep
stockpiles of books from
previous years, and out-of-print
books are much more expen
1
sive, he says.
“An academic library can
never regain the momentum lost
during a bleak budget cycle.”
High inflation in the cost of
periodicals also has contributed
to the reduction in new book
titles. Inflation coupled with an
unchanging acquisition budget
over a long period of time has
forced the library to spend
greater amounts of each year’s
acquisition budget to meet an
nual subscription rates, Ship
man says.
The library hasn’t purchased
any new subscriptions since
December, 1979 in an attempt
to reduce the amount of dollars
spent on periodicals, he says.
"Even with this step, inflation
in periodicals will cause us to
commit 67 percent of the
1980-81 acquisition budget to
cover various on-going com
mitments.”
Only 19 percent of the acqui
sition funds will remain to pur
chase new titles because the
rest will be used to pay for pos
tage, binding and related ex
penses.
Also because of budget prob
lems, the library is in danger of
losing its membership in the
Association of Research Librar
ies. ARL membership indicates
quality in research develop
ment, Shipman says.
“In 1963-64 the University of
Oregon ranked 37th. In 1978-79
it ranked 82nd, suffering a de
cline of 45 positions in its
standing ”
Black union
elects officers
All black students are invited
to attend a meeting in the Black
Student Union office at 7:30
p.m Wednesday.
The meeting has been called
to reorganize the BSU adminis
tration, and votes on a new
administration will be taken.
Anyone interested in being on
the ballot or in nominating an
other person for the offices of
director, associate director or
secretary, can submit names to
the BSU office. For more infor
mation call 686-4379.
SOVIET RUSSIAN
LITERATURE
IN ENGLISH
NO PREREQUISITE
SLR 330 3 cr. FALL
MWF 1:30 J. RICE
Tuesday, September 30,1980