UNC Libraries Escape Budget Cuts for Now

UNC officials announced Wednesday that the University's final budget cuts from the state had been finalized, totaling about $12 million.

Most departments on campus were hit with cuts somewhere between 3 percent and 4 percent, but the library system was the only sector to escape the chopping block.

When the first warnings came from the state last May of impending budget cuts, the library system was prepared to take a large hit.

As recently as August the library system was anticipating cutting more than 900 serial subscriptions from its collection and reducing spending on new books.

Administrators also left unfilled staff positions open.

Although the library system is the only department to survive the cuts intact, officials still worry about the possibility of additional cuts this year.

Because the state's budget is not yet fully balanced, the University could face up to $1 million more in cuts, Shelton told The Daily Tar Heel this week.

Provost Robert Shelton's office was responsible for deciding how much each department on campus needed to cut, although individual departments will decide how to trim the costs from their budgets.

The library system was spared because it was "high priority and affects everything we do in the University," Shelton said.

And library administrators are pleased that they are not going to have to make any major sacrifices at the moment, said Deputy University Librarian Larry Alford.

"It was a recognition of the importance and centrality of the libraries to teaching on campus," Alford said.

Still, the library is not completely in the clear. The probability of midyear cuts is "100 percent," Shelton said.

With more cuts looming on the horizon, the probability that the library will avoid cuts for a second time seems slim.

"We have done some contingency planning to minimize the impact," Alford said.

A second round of cuts also would threaten the stability of other departments, though Shelton said he is hopeful that there will be no additional layoffs.

Though the library was spared, other departments were not so lucky. Shelton determined which schools, like the College of Arts and Sciences, would have to cut spending, but the individual deans have the task of deciding which academic departments will suffer.

"The larger issue that each department has to face is what part of (the cuts) comes from supplies and what part comes from faculty cuts," Shelton said.

Another concern is how the cuts will affect the reputation of the University.

With reductions in resources and positions, it's possible that the University will not be able to attract the type of new faculty it might need to make UNC the top ranking public University in the nation.

"It hurts because we need to offer competitive salaries," Shelton said.

Still, he said he thinks that if job applicants want to come to the University, they will probably still take an offered position simply based on the prestige of the programs at UNC.

Although the University is laying off some employees, faculty are seeing their salaries increased. Faculty members will on average see a 1.2 percent salary increase, most of which comes from the $300 campus-initiated tuition hike passed last March.

The raise is necessary to keep salaries competitive, Shelton said.

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.