From the Library Director

As mentioned in previous issues of the newsletter over the past year, the Library's budget was cut 8% in the past fifteen months, resulting in the elimination of nine positions (20% of the staff), cancellation of 215 journal subscriptions ($135,000 worth), reduction of the book budget by 50% ($50,000), and reduction of the other maintenance budget categories. Additional cost-cutting or cost-recovery measures currently being considered by the Library include the following:

• Billing Fee for Overdue/Lost Items - The Library staff spends a tremendous amount of time and effort trying to retrieve overdue items, and in billing for items not returned. In order to do this more effectively, the following changes will take effect July 1, 2001:
  1. A $15 non-refundable billing/administrative fee will be charged on overdue items after the third overdue notice is sent. This means that if a patron is sent a bill after the third overdue notice, and the item is then returned, the patron will be charged $15.00 for the cost of billing. In the past, all charges were cancelled when the item was returned. If the item is not returned, the patron will owe a replacement charge for the item, plus the $15 billing fee.
  2. No refunds will be made for items returned more than 30 days after payment of a replacement cost fee. In the past, there was no time limit on refunds of replacement cost fees if the item was returned.
• Pay-for-Print - The Library's expenses for printer and toner cartridges have risen dramatically in the past two years. As the number of electronic journals and other online products continues to grow, we anticipate continued increases in printing costs. The Library does not currently charge for printing from the public computers in the Library, but we are reviewing charging options.

The Library staff will continue to investigate cost-cutting measures while trying very hard to protect the basic services utilized heavily by UAMS personnel.

The only increase requested in the Library's maintenance budget for 2001/2002 was for the journals budget. The Library spent about $900,000 on journals last year, and would need approximately $100,000 to remain even in journals, since journal costs increase from 10-12% per year, and the Ovid cost increase this year was about 13%. Reed Elsevier, a large European publishing conglomerate, now owns about 1/3 of the journals and online products to which the Library subscribes, and the prices for these products will probably continue to rise significantly in the near future.

While this issue of the newsletter was being compiled, I received news that $100,000 would be added to the Library's journal budget for 2001/2002. This should allow us to minimize cancellations of journal subscriptions for the coming year and to add at least a few new subscriptions for titles recommended by faculty. We very much appreciate the support of Chancellor Wilson, Dr. Milne and others who supported this increase in the Library's journal budget.

Mary L. Ryan