Connections
a newsletter from the library to the faculty of The Claremont Colleges
Spring 19 Special Edition Vol e 4 Number 3
Me sag Fro
n the Spring 1994 issue of
Connections, I reported
on reductions to the Libraries
budget effective July 1, 1994. This special edition brings you news of planning which has been ongoing since that report. Although the impact of the reductions will be quite severe, I am hopeful that the Common Purpose Fund Raising project with a target of $ 7,000,000 approved by The Colleges with a completion date ofJune 30,1998, will somewhat ameliorate the effect of th reduction .
Planning fordelivery ofservicesby Libraries stMf has proceeded keeping in mind three primary premises. First, decisions will be made With our mission statement uppermost in mind, I. e., effective delivery of library and information services to students, facuJty, an staff of e Claremont 011 ges through developing collections, establishing connections to the ever broadening array of resources, and providing guidance in the use of those collections and resources. Second, there will be substantial changes in the organization IDld deployment of staff. Last, although the process will be a consultativeoneincluding Librariesstaff and others, final decisions will be made by the Libraries administrative group in
onsultation with the CUC Vice President for Administration, Library Council, and the Libraries' constituencies.
At its April meeting, the Council of Presidents accepted a framework within whichdecisionsarebeingmade. Acopy of that two page d ' ument is available by calling the Libraries Administrative Office at ext. 8045. In essence, the transformation of the Libraries to a greater reliance on technology and electronic information resources will be accelerated. That transformation requires attention to three areas each of which has differing budgetary impacts. These areas are exploiting technology, redeploying staff, and outsourcing selected Ii brary processes.
The Oe e......- r:
:>< The exploitation of technology in turn implies an investment in technically competent staff, staff training, state- of- th - art equipment, and electronic resources as well as enhanced cooperative relationships with the academic computing centers. As reported in the Spring 1994 Connections, I have appointed a committee of library staff, academic computing personnel, and faculty to develop a three to five year Information Policy Plan. The result of their work will be incorporated into fmal plans for maximizing use oftechnology. Significant staff and operating funds as well as materials funds are already being devoted to technology and electronic resources, and spending in these areas will continue to increase. Funds from the Common Purpo e Fund Raising project will be needed to supplement the Libraries budget over the next five years by upgrading and purchasing new equipment as well as paying for electronic infonnation resources and infonnation infrastructure costs.
I
~ ln essence, the
transformation of the
Libraries to a greater
reliance on technology and
electronic information
resources will be
accelerated."
:>< With more than a 10 percent reduction in the number of full- lime equivalent library staff, it will be necessary to organize more effectively for delivery of services. Organizational structures are being reviewed and flexibility in assig ents, particularly for Ii rarian staff, is being jrnplemented. In additi n, assignments of all current staff are being reviewed to ensure that maximum advantage is taken of their skills, education, and abilities. New
e
Re c ns
staff, especially those wi th specific technological competencies, will be recruited as necessary.
Of special significance is the redeployment of staff from traditional library t chnicalprocessing functions to direct delivery of information services. Thisimpliesinvestmentin stafftraining and developmental opportunities as w II as in providing staff willI the tools necessary to function in IDl increasingly technological environment. Endowment funds designated for staffing in the Corrunon Purpose Fund Raising project will be needed to begin to re- build the number of librarian staff to a level commensurate with that of similar institutions:
:?< TheLibraries willalsomaximize opportunilie for outsourcing library processes or budgetary savings and/ or greater efficiency. Processes such as handling periodical subscriptions and selection of monographic materials as well as the provision of photocopy services have been outsourced for several years. Developments within the past yearnowmake itreasonabletooutsource the cataloging of the majority of new booksadded to theLibrariescollections. Thi will result i. savings in taff costs and contribute toward the target goal for the necessary budget reduction. Another promising possibility is outsourcing the shelving of books and periodicals in HonnoldJMudd. While this will not result in budgetary savings, there should be a significant enhancement of efftcien y.
Whar does all of this mean specifically for students, faculty, and staffofThe Colleges?
Li rary hours. While we will attempt tocoutinue library building hours at th highest level possible, we cannot support an average of tOO service hours in four library buildings. Taking into account student needs and patterns of use, we will renuce hours in all libraries. Surruner hours in HonnoldlMudd will beaffected mostdramatically byclosing
Denison ... Honnold/ Mudd Pomona Science Sprague on Sundays as well as opening later and cl lsing earlier during the week, but academic year hours will be reduced only by closing two hours earlier ( 8: 00 p. m.) on Friday and Saturd< IY evenings. Denison, Pomona Science, and Sprague hours will be not be affected during th ' . ummer. During the academic year, aJl three will close at 11: 00 p. m. Sunday through ' Thursday and at 5: 00 p. m. Friday and aturday and wiIl open later on Saturday and Sunday.
Library rererence and in.. tructional services. ' Ibere will be an increasing, continued emphasis on library Instruction. Thi' wiIl be especially impoI1< 1nt since there will be fewer hours hen the full array of services such as refcrenl; c arc available. Under the new structure for delivery of reference assistance, there will be an emphasison availability ofappointments with subje(' t spedali ' ts.
III orne source.. A number of area', will be reviewed withane e toward cost recovery and/ or supplementing the Libraries budget when this can be accomplished without becoming an ed cational equity problem. Examples or income ources indud photocopy charg , charge: for computer printing. and processing charges for lost library materials. Whenever possible, costs of providing auxiliary services to The Colleges wiIl be recovered, Possibilities include recovering costs for soliciting. pnKcssing, and servicing archives; providing library facilities for conferences, etc.
Student jobs. There wiIl be fewer part- time positions for students since a portion of the Libraries funds devoted to hiring part- time and hourly stanwill be shifted to full- time positions and to thecosts ofoULsourcing Ijbraries processes performed by part- time and hourly stafr.
• Materials budget. As noted in the Spring Connections, the materiaL' budget was inCTcased by $ 160,000. I3 Y agreement of the Council of Presidents. $ 25,000 of that money will be applied toward the c( St of outsourcing th' cataloging of new library matcrials. While this lessens the impact of reductions on the operating budget. it will result in a more severe impact on journal subscriptions and the purchase of monographs than would otherwise occur since there will be less money to offset the effect of inflation. Inscned in this newslcttcr you will find information about proposed journal cancellations.
We recognize that none of these outcomes are desirable; however, the reduction in availability of reference services and the use f materials funds for outsourcing processin functions are particularly problematical. WASC team reports hav specifically stated that funds for materials are very limited in relation to demand, and that the Iibr y staff is very small in relation to the number of students and the variety of programs with which th y must connect inorderto provide effective collections and services. ( From CG Visiting Team
eporl, 1993.)
Two statistical measures that support these findings come quickly to mind; they arc the materials expenditures per student and the number of students per professional staff. Here atClaremonl, we spent $ 425 on library materials per student in 1992/ 93; and each professional staff member served 263 students. Statistics arc available for a number of insti utions with which we arc frcqu nlly compared. For Amh rst, Williams, Swarthmore, and WeJl slcy, the materials expenditures perstudent during 1992/ 93 ranged from a low of 512to a high of $ 748 with a mean of $ 618 per stucIenl. lbe number of students per profcssional staff ranged from a low of 112 to a high of 171 with a mean of 134 students served by each professional staff member. If we prefer to compare ourselves toan institutionclosertohome. the figures for Occidental ollege are $ 469 in materials expenditures per studentand 137studentsperprofessional staff member.
Even taking into account the Claremont model ofeconomiesofscale, i. e., one iibrary system for six institutions, it is clear that we fall far short of where we should . With a budget reduction, we will have even fewer information and staffing resources in relation to our growingslUdembody. TheCGS WASC Visiting T am Report clearly articulates the scope of this problem by identifying " the need for more staffing to pport individuals and departments in the use ofelectronic infonnation services" as an " urgent" issue which needs to be addressed.
Even so, we will do our best to provide quality library and information services to The Claremont CoIleges community. As we continue planning, we will need yoor advice and suggestions. Most of all, we need your support and involvement to ensure that wc know of your needs and that we are working togelllcr to meet th needs of you and your students. Let me and members of the Library Council hear from you.
t Bonnie j. Clemens
The Libraries of The Claremont Colleges 800 Dartmouth Avenue Claremont, CA 91711- 3991
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