Academic Library Services 2009-2010 Budget Reduction Narrative: 6.5= %

December 16, 2008

This document identifies possible permanent budget reductions for Academic Library Services for 2009-2010 at the 0.7%, 1.3%, 2= %, 2.6%, 3.3%, 3.9%, 4.6%, 5.2%, 5.9%, and 6.5% levels, describes the reductio= ns and the rationale for their selection, and explains the impact the reductio= ns will have on the unit and ECU. Our strategy is cumulative, so that at each level of cuts, the previous level(s) will be incorporated. However, these generally are not repeated in the narrative.

A.&n= bsp; 0.7%: $98,261

Cut the Vi= rtual Library budget by $66,200

The Virtual= Library has been receiving 50% of the total enrollment increase allotted for the libraries. As a result, it has been growing at a faster rate than other bud= get lines and is the first target for the reduction. We plan to protect current subscri= ption resources, including databases and online journal subscriptions. This initial cut will reduce the f= unds available for one-time purchases of electronic resources such as digital collections and online journal archives that have been requested by faculty= .

Cut the Acquisitions budget by $32,061

ALS current= ly allocates money to two acquisitions funds that are used for replacing missi= ng and damaged materials. These funds will be abolished. Subject liaisons can still order replacements for these materials, but they will come from the funds allocat= ed to the subject area, not to a special fund, and thus will have to compete w= ith new materials available for purchase. While we anticipate that the most important materials will still be replaced, other materials will have to be obtained through Interlibrary Loa= n or other means, increasing the time the patron must wait, and potentially dama= ging the comprehensiveness of the library’s collections long-term.

ALS will re= view subscriptions for print serials and standing orders and will cancel approxi= mately $20,000 of these titles. We will try to limit the impact by selecting lesse= r-used materials and/or materials that are less scholarly in nature.

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ALS will re= duce the amount spent on binding journals and other materials. As online archival access to journ= als through ownership models continues to increase, the life span of some print journals in the library shortens. If ALS does not bind these journal issues, they may experience some additional wear and tear, but will be available for use. As ECU moves toward electronic submission of theses and dissertations, binding of those materials will decrease.

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B.      1.3%: $182,485

Cut the Acquisitions budget by $7,939

Additional = cuts to binding, for a combined total of $20,000.&= nbsp; If the cuts extend to materials such as music scores and pamphlets, = the useable life of the materials will be affected.

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Cut the Vi= rtual Library budget by $76,285

This amount= will reduce the Virtual Library budget to what we project to be the minimum amou= nt needed to preserve existing subscriptions.= This cut means that no funds will be available for new subscriptions= or one-time purchases. Any new subscripti= ons or purchases will have to be offset by cancellations of existing resources. The ECU Libraries have been able t= o add a number of resources over the past few years, from the VL budget and from end-of-year funds from Academic Affairs.&n= bsp; Despite the large increase in the number and quality of resources available through the Virtual Library, there are always requests from our faculty for additional resources. Two high priority items that will be impacted by this cut are INSPEC (requested by Engineering) and the Wharton Research Data Service (needed to support the Ph.D. in Economics).

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C.      2.0%: $280,746

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Cut the Vi= rtual Library budget by $70,000

This cut me= ans that some subscriptions paid from the Virtual Library budget will likely have to= be cancelled or user levels reduced. This cut will impact ECU faculty, students and staff who use the resources. In an attempt to minimize the impact, ALS, in collaboration with Laupus Library, will investigate cost-saving measures such as reducing the number of simultaneous users for resources and will pursue additional consortial license agreement= s. We will identify areas of overlap for possible cancellation and will target resources with lower usage, while protecting core resources for all areas of the curriculum.

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Cut the Op= erating budget by $18,261

Even though= there is little to no “fat” in the Operating budget, we believe that = all areas of the ALS budget need to contribute to the reduction. We plan to lengthen our replacement schedule for staff and public computers and peripherals, reduce travel and staff development, and further reduce the amount spent on supplies (this bu= dget line was cut in August 2008 when the 1% reversion was made). The impact wil= l be loss of efficiency as computers age and become less reliable and as supplies needed to perform functions such as preservation and repairs are limited, as well as reduction in our ability to support faculty travel needed to support their state and national service commitments. The library environment is changin= g at a rapid pace and ongoing staff development is needed to provide the highest l= evel of service. Another possible = effect of this cut is a decline in staff morale.

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Cut the Acquisitions budget by $10,000

This reduct= ion will impact the discretionary spending done each year to improve targeted areas = of the print collection. Last ye= ar, for example, discretionary spending benefited Music, Classical Studies, Education, and Theatre. The i= mpact of the cut will mean fewer improvements to the library collections, despite evidence of need.

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D.      2.6% =3D $364,970

Cut the Op= erating budget by $84,224

This will r= equire further cuts to the travel, supplies, and equipment lines. It is also likely to affect the nu= mber of self-help students ALS can employ and the amount spent on marketing and special events. In recent yea= rs, ALS has used lapsed salaries to fund graduate student employees. This source of funding will not be available after June 30. The = loss in the number of graduate student employees combined with the reduction in = the number of self-help students may lead to reductions in service hours.   A decrease in graduate stude= nt and self-help funding will also decrease the availability of on-campus jobs, th= us potentially impacting the university's ability to recruit and retain studen= ts. The reduction in the marketing bud= get may mean that ALS cannot sponsor as many events for the University and community as in the past. Thi= s is contrary to our goal (and the University’s goal) of increasing commun= ity engagement.
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E.      = 3.3% =3D $421,120

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Cut the Acquisitions budget and/or the Virtual Library budget by $56,150=

Databases a= nd online journals are funded from both lines. If a cut of this magnitude is requ= ired, ALS will need to conduct a comprehensive serials and database cancellation project. Cancellations will b= e made of lower priority items, regardless of which budget line they are in. Cancellations to the Virtual Libra= ry line will be made in collaboration with Laupus Library. Print monographs are funded from t= he Acquisitions line, while e-books are funded from both lines. A cut of this magnitude would like= ly result in across-the-board cuts to all areas of the monographs budget.   The impact of the cuts will = be the loss of monographs, journals, and databases for everyone at ECU. Based on past experience, recoveri= ng from major acquisitions budget cuts is nearly impossible, so it is likely t= hat the collection will suffer permanent damage.

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F.      = 3.9% =3D $547,456

Cut the Op= erating budget by $20,336

This will n= ecessitate even more cuts to the travel, supplies, student wages, marketing, special events, and equipment lines. = In recent years, ALS has used lapsed salaries to fund graduate student employees. This source of fun= ding will not be available after June 30. The loss in the number of graduate student employees combined with t= he further reduction in the number of self-help students may lead to reductions in ser= vice hours and backlogs in processing materials in Special Collections, Digital Collections, and Technical Services. = A decrease in graduate student and self-help funding will also decre= ase the availability of on-campus jobs, thus potentially impacting the universi= ty's ability to recruit and retain students. The reduction in the marketing budg= et may mean that ALS cannot sponsor as many events for the University and community as in the past. Thi= s is contrary to our goal of increasing community engagement and being the intellectual heart of the campus.

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Cut the SP= A 60200 (1210) and Benefits lines by $42,000

If a cut of= this magnitude is required, ALS will evaluate workloads and responsibilities of = SPA staff and will identify a position for elimination. It is our intent that no full-time currently-employed staff will be affected by this cut. Elimination of the position at bes= t will mean a reallocation of job responsibilities among remaining staff; at worst= it will mean a backlog in accomplishing certain job tasks (binding, cataloging, etc.).

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Cut the EP= A 60100 (1100) and Benefits lines by $64,000

Cutting a f= aculty position is a last resort, but is required at this level. Any additional cuts to the Operati= ng, Acquisitions, or Virtual Library budgets would severely damage ALS’s ability to provide the resources and services required of a library at a growing Doctoral/Research University with a large distance learning compone= nt. All ALS faculty contribute to the services we provide, no matter whether they are in public, digital or techn= ical services. Thus, the loss of a faculty position will negatively impact service. The particulars of the impact will depend on the specific position lost.

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G.     4.6% =3D $645,781

Cut the EP= A 60100 (1100) and Benefits lines by $98,160

At this lev= el we will cut two EPA positions: the Library Fellow position and a Collections Librarian position. Each year= , the Library Fellow program offers one Joyner SPA employee who has an ALA-accredited MLS= the opportunity to do faculty-level work at the entry-level faculty salary, wit= h a temporary employee being hired to cover their SPA position for that year. This program is an important staff development tool and helps our staff members become more competitive when t= hey apply for faculty-level positions. This is an innovative program which has received national attention. = The Collections Librarian position is a new position that would help Joyner meet its goal of increasing faculty outreach and building strong online and print collections. Cutting this position means that current staff will need to ha= ndle these responsibilities, on top of their regular duties.

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Cut the Op= erating budget by $165

A small cut= to the operating budget is included to meet the target figure for the 4.6% cut.

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H.     5.2% =3D $729,941

Cut the EP= A 60100 (1100) and Benefits lines by $60,894

The Electro= nic Resources Cataloging Librarian EPA position will be cut. The duties of this position will be reassigned to other cataloging faculty, but because the affected individuals have other duties, we will not be able to devote as much time to this impor= tant and growing area as is needed. The impact will be a delay in providing access to new electronic resources, including e-books and other full-text online resources. Other areas of the collection will= be adversely affected as well, as the existing catalogers’ time is split.

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Cut the Op= erating budget by $23,431

At this lev= el, the marketing/special events line in the operating budget will be significantly reduced, with a reduction in advertising, brochures, and special events. ALS will not be able to sponsor as= many events for the University and community as in the past. This is contrary to our goal of increasing community engagement and being the intellectual heart of the campus.

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I.      = 5.9% =3D $828,203

Cut the SP= A 60200 (1210) and Benefits lines by $44,400

An SPA posi= tion in Acquisitions will be cut. Thi= s will mean delays in the ordering of new materials (monographs, DVDs, scores, etc= .) needed by faculty and students. Also, this position is targeted to work with the new ECU institution= al repository. Cutting the posit= ion means lessened support for faculty who will submit materials for inclusion = in the institutional repository and a slowing of the growth of this important resource.

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Cut the Acquisitions and/or Virtual Library budget by $33,412

The Acquisi= tions and/or Virtual Library will also have to be cut further to reach this target. This means cuts in on= line journals, print journals, databases, monographs, DVDs, special collections, manuscripts, and other materials needed to support teaching and research at= the university. As noted above, recovering from major acquisitions budget cuts = is nearly impossible, so it is likely that the collection will suffer permanent damage.

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Cut the Op= erating budget by $20,450

Additional = cuts to the operating budget at this level will require reducing library hours by 14 hours per week and cancelling a contract cataloging service. To minimize the impact on users, we have selected the two hours each day that receive the lowest use (first two hours that we’ve been open on Saturday, last two hours on Friday, and midnight to 2:00 a.m. on the other five days of the week). Even so, we know from = past experience that this will frustrate students, faculty and members of the community who want to use materials and resources within the library buildi= ng when it is convenient for them. As ECU strives to improve its standing as a research university (and we try to meet the needs of students who delay studying and research until the last minute), we would like to increase the hours the building is open, not decr= ease them. The cancellation of the contract cataloging service will mean a delay in the availability of music scores to patrons.

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J.      = 6.5% =3D $912,427

Cut the SP= A 60200 (1210) and Benefits lines by $42,640

An SPA posi= tion in Building Operations will be cut. This is a critical loss at a time when the library plans to use endowment funds to renovate the first floor of the building to provide a mo= re user-friendly space that better supports student learning styles and incorporates new technologies. Moving and surplusing furniture and equipment, responding to building work orders, maintaining asset inventories, liaising with Housekeeping, and other duties will have to be reassigned.&n= bsp; Delays in response time will result. The library cooperates with oth= er campus groups that want to host meetings and programs in the building. Many of these events require speci= al room set-ups (moving furniture, setting up tables and chairs, etc.) Without this position, we may not be able to support as many of these events. =

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Cut the Op= erating budget by $40,584

This level = of cut will require a large reduction in the operating budget, which will reduce support for professional and service-related travel for tenure-track facult= y by at least half and more drastically for faculty who have already earned tenu= re. It will require more cuts to the in-house training and staff development budget and further reduce the amount allocated for self-help students. This cut is particularly painful in light of the recently-approved tuition increases and our knowledge that there already is a large unmet fin= ancial aid need within our student population.&nb= sp;

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Cut the Acquisitions or Virtual Library budget by $1000

The above c= ut takes the Operating budget to a bare minimum.&nb= sp; Even this $1000 cut would be more than the Operating budget could sustain. Thus, the Acquisitio= ns and/or Virtual Library budgets will have to absorb this cut and most likely, any additional cuts Academic Library Services is asked to make, with serious consequences to our ability to provide the materials needed by faculty and students to succeed in their research and learning.