Priding itself on its wonderful collections, the Libraries of the University of California Berkeley are feeling the budget crunch.
A 1998 blue-ribbon report “reflected the mood on campus at the time, that the Library, once very proud and esteemed, had fallen,� recalls University Librarian Tom Leonard. At that time, Chancellor Berdahl responded to the report with a three-year commitment of $5.5 million, nearly a million of which went to staffing. “We were able to recruit talent and build special expertise in digital-library materials and in languages,� says Leonard. Morale rose, and so did the Library’s rankings — from fifth overall nationwide in 2000 to third last year, right behind Harvard and Yale.
But things have changed for the 2004-05 academic year. It’s expected that cutbacks will include shorter operating hours, and reduced services and reference help. The story from UC Berkeley News .
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