Library budget cut for second time in two years
The JB Morrell Library is facing a second round of budget cuts in two years. The cuts to the library’s budget in the last financial year amounted to £500,000, while this year the level of cuts have been reduced to £145,000, bringing the budget for the entire Library for this academic year to approximately £4m.
Library Budget Manager Tracy Stanley said: “what we tried to do as much as we could is protect the information budget, because obviously it has the most impact on students requirements and staff as well… so last year the savings were really achieved by some delays in replacing some staff who had left”.
Speaking to Nouse Stanley said: “We took some of the savings on our staff, but it would be pretty routine for us to review all posts every year.” When asked if the information budget, which covers books, electronic journals, binding and document delivery, had been cut last year, Stanley said: “We did have to make some cuts to the information budget as well, last year we made a cut of £150,000 pounds for the whole information budget.” She added that the cuts were spread evenly between all of the University’s academic departments.
According to Head Librarian Stephen Town, the decision to cut the Library’s budget was made by the University in order to “cope with a one-year reduction in income, the cuts aren’t really intended to generate investment money”.
Contrary to predictions however, last year’s financial report shows a growth of £2.7m for the University, compared with the £500,000 of the previous year. Despite this resounding success, the University Library will still be experiencing cuts in the next two years, albeit smaller ones than were initially projected. The same report quoted the Vice-Chancellor’s expenses at £250k.
Stanley said it was “inevitable” that cuts would affect the Library in the long term, while Town was more confident in the Library’s ability to manage the cuts. Both said that the University had actually supplied additional funding in Library areas needing expansion, such as Law and Theatre Film and Television. “There was some disquiet from departments, but we have assuaged those fears”, said Stanley.
Professor Miles Taylor, Head of History, said his department had not yet been asked to make cuts. He said that if cuts were made “they won’t come in areas which affect the student experience”. In fact, according to Prof. Taylor, the Library has been able to actually enlarge the History Department’s section in American History in the last year.
Town said the Library had received numerous complaints from about availability of texts. Town said the problem is currently undergoing “serious analysis”, and a review of the lending process is underway.
