Libraries across the country are facing the double threat of
changing technology and shrinking budgets. From Salinas, Calif., to
UCLA, libraries are in trouble ““ and deserve increased
support.
On the eve of National Library Week came news that three
libraries in Salinas plan to cut their operational hours from 32
hours a week to only 26 hours a week starting April 18.
In June, the libraries are scheduled to cut back even more:
eight hours a week for two libraries and 10 hours a week for
another. The city has also lost one third of its library staff.
Residents who rely on the libraries for computers and books have
told local papers they will struggle to adjust their schedules to
continue using the reduced services.
Here at UCLA the situation is not as dire, but the library
system has taken funding hits as the state budget has eroded after
2000. In 2003, the state budget specified a 6 percent cut directed
at UCLA’s libraries. In total UCLA’s libraries lost
$1.4 million for operations and $700,000 for collections.
UCLA cut about 1,400 journal subscriptions as a result and has
struggled to fill dozens of staff positions.
Unfortunately, the budget cuts have impacted the ranking of
UCLA’s libraries. Every year the Association of Research
Libraries rates its members on the number of books and journals
they have, how many new volumes they add, their expenditures and
the size of their staffs.
UCLA’s libraries ranked second out of 120 in the 1997, but
fell as low as eighth in 1999-2000. Since then they have struggled
back to seventh place. (Harvard University has long held the
first-place position, but UCLA’s seventh-place ranking should
not be considered too shabby: The libraries at many prestigious
universities rank far lower. Two examples are Georgetown and John
Hopkins’ libraries, ranking 58th and 38th respectively.)
Funding and staffing problems are not limited to UCLA or
Salinas. Nationwide, research libraries saw a 7 percent drop in
circulation between 1991 and 2003, according to data from the
Association of Research Libraries. Between 1986 and 2000 the price
of academic journals has increased an average of 227 percent
according to the Association of Research Libraries. With an
ever-increasing demand for electronic journals, libraries have been
forced to make tough choices about which titles to keep and which
ones to let go.
Still, the news is not all doom and gloom for libraries: While
national circulation numbers are down, UCLA’s total
circulation rose from 1.45 million in 1999 to 1.96 million in 2003.
In 2003, following the state cuts, Chancellor Albert
Carnesale’s office promised UCLA’s libraries $800,000
to maintain their collections.
Also in Salinas residents have come together to raise $500,000
in donations ““ enough to keep the libraries running on a
minimal schedule through the summer.
Anyone who has ever played mayor in the SimCity computer game
knows libraries are a key link in the education system. Whether in
a local community, or a major research university, libraries
provide free access to information that is otherwise
unavailable.
Libraries should not have to rely on donations and emergency
funds to operate ““ they are too vital to our education.