Faculty Senate Library Committee report, filed by Professor Richard Abrams,  Chair, Faculty Senate Library Committee 4/25/02 

(1) The FSLC concerned itself largely with budgets this year.  The serials budget has remained static for print, microform, and digital resources from FY98/99 to FY01/02; the monographic budget has increased by only $6,000 in the past four years, rising to its present level in FY00/01. Because costs of monographs and serials rise annually, the impression of holding our own is illusory.   For example, the rise in the cost of serials (roughly 8-10% yearly) translates to an equivalent loss in spending power, necessitating cuts in serials.  One such large cancellation project is on the immediate horizon. 

(2) A further concern was the Librarian’s plan to hire a science bibliographer as a Collections Development person.  The Committee views this hiring as untimely in the face of virtually static budgets.  Additionally, the Committee questions the ability of a science-based Collections Development librarian to evaluate holdings in humanities and in sciences outside his/her area of expertise.  The Committee wishes to explore hiring specialists to evaluate particular collections, as has recently been done successfully with the Music collection. 

(3) A third concern is faculty borrowing privileges at other campuses within the state system.  We wish to lobby for full-semester borrowing privileges, with the stipulation that books are subject to recall at their home campus after an initial short-term loan.  A more liberal intercampus loan policy seems the only practicable way to foster scholarship at USM in the face of serious budget problems.  We also note the financial advantages over the present system with respect to costs of transportation of books back and forth between campuses when they become due every few weeks. 

On 4/12/02, the Committee sat down with the Librarian Steve Bloom to discuss these matters.  We received the following responses. 

(1) The Librarian acknowledged the seriousness of the budget problem, and acknowledged that he has not formally requested budget increases during his four years at USM.  The Committee requested that he do so, and asked that we be copied on these requests. 

(2) Mr Bloom apparently intends to go forward with the hiring of a science bibliographer as a Collections Development librarian.  He acknowledged that Research and Development moneys toward this hiring could be redirected into serials and monographs budgets if the hiring were dropped. 

(3) Both sides agreed that a change in intercampus borrowing policies would need to be mandated by the Chancellor.  It was further agreed to pursue such a recommendation for change through  the Provost.  Next year, the FSLC will bring a proposal before the Faculty Senate to this effect. 

The FSLC and Mr Bloom apparently also differ on views regarding the  reconstruction of the Glickman Library in Portland.  These matters will be taken up next fall by the FSLC. 

Respectfully submitted 

Richard Abrams
Chair, Faculty Senate Library Committee