Library system able to streamline services despite budget cuts

Despite losing nearly $4 million over the last three years, the University Library was able to streamline its services to better serve students, professors and the community during the 2010-12 period.

The library system released a final report evaluating the completion of goals laid out in “To Collect and To Serve,” its blueprint for 2010 to 2012.

Budget cuts forced librarians to scale back services and give up plans for repairs and renovations to Davis and Wilson libraries, Associate Provost for University Libraries Sarah Michalak said.

“I think the place where we would have liked to have made more progress was revitalizing library buildings,” Michalak said.

“We did some internal refurbishments, but both Wilson and Davis need a lot of work, and the budget constraints prevented us from doing that.”

Despite those setbacks, the library system achieved many of its key goals during the two-year period, including a merger with the Health Sciences Library to improve the efficiency of programs and services, Michalak said.

They also updated research collections and used high-speed scanners to digitize more than 10,000 books, to create a more user-friendly service, Michalak said.

Kenan Science Library opened in the newly renovated Venable Hall to provide a high-tech science research facility.

Among other accomplishments, enhanced workspaces were also added to Davis Library, the Health Sciences Library, and the Undergraduate Library to facilitate group work, the Library’s report stated.

“I think a lot of it is a testament to our staff and how well they understand the people and the University that they work with,” said Judy Panitch, director of library communications. “It shows how creative they have been in times of budget cuts to continue providing excellent service.”

The University Library staff is in the process of drafting their next plan, which Panitch said they hope will build off the success of the last two years.

There will be three main areas of focus — fostering researcher success, becoming increasingly involved with teaching and learning at the University and improving blogger services for the local and global community, Panitch said.

“We’d like to provide new technology and facilities that are comfortable for researchers,” Michalak said. She said she hopes there will be new research facilities in Davis and Wilson.

“Librarians have worked with thousands of students each year to help with orienting students to the library and helping them find good, scholarly academic information,” Michalak said.

“We want to make sure that each educational experience for every student is the best it can be.”

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