[Eril-l] funding for DDA/PDA

[Karen Jensen]

Rick you comment that getting rid of print would be a "very unusual
attitude" for an administrator, but I hear it frequently also. I have heard
it from several library deans, as well as deans in other academic
departments, both here in AK and elsewhere. Not a systematic account of
attitudes by any means, but I find myself often having to defend even
having a library any more, much less printed materials in it. I even hear
that refrain from researchers whose work is primarily journal-based, and
who never access physical library collections; they are unconcerned about
print items even in their own subjects. Our personnel have been
correspondingly downsized, from 12 faculty librarians to only 7 just in the
last 2 years, and it's not going to change in the other direction any time
soon. We just were ordered to and did close a branch library as well, and
several higher level administrators commented that the materials in the
branch could be discarded without analysis; we didn't do such a discard,
nor will we, but the pressure is on.

Karen Jensen
Collection Development Officer
Rasmuson Library
University of Alaska Fairbanks
907-474-6695
kljensen at alaska.edu


On Fri, Sep 25, 2015 at 10:10 AM, Rick Anderson <rick.anderson at utah.edu>
wrote:

>
> To your knowledge, has anyone expressed that conclusion based purely on
> falling overall circulation numbers?
>
>
>
> That is one reason that conclusion has been frequently drawn.
>
>
> Oh, sure — but there’s a big difference between using circ trends as _a_
> criterion for reducing print purchases, and using it as _the_ criterion for
> that decision. I agree that the latter would be unwise. Failing to consider
> circulation numbers at all, however, along with other criteria, would be to
> say that usage doesn’t matter. That would be silly.
>
>
> Can you cite any examples of librarians advocating the wholesale
> discontinuation of print acquisition? I spend a lot of time listening to
> and participating in the professional conversations around this issue, and
> I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone propose that. I don’t deny that there
> may be people out there taking that position, but I think they’d be pretty
> extreme outliers.
>
>
>
> Well, there’s this:
> http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/25/us-usa-florida-library-idUSKBN0GP0W620140825
> ...
>
>
> This is an example of a new library (and one with a fairly narrow and
> specific curricular mission) that is itself e-only. No one, to my
> knowledge, is promoting it as a model for academic libraries generally
> (which is what I presume you mean by “turning our backs wholesale” on the
> acquisition of print).
>
>
> Given the very disparaging tone we use to discuss print collections? Given
> the extreme pressure we’re under to get rid of them, or stop getting them,
> despite evidence that they are valued?
>
>
> Are you under extreme pressure to stop buying print? Or is your library
> moving in an e-preferred direction? Those are by no means the same thing.
>
>
> Is your dean pushing you to cancel the art journals because they’re not
> available online?
>
>
>
> Every time she suggests this course of action, which she has done several
> times, I remind her that not all of our journals are available
> electronically. I am not entirely sure she believes me, or perhaps she is
> being pressured by people in university administration who do believe all
> the journals we need are online. I don’t think that is an attitude in
> administrators that is uncommon.
>
>
> I’m still not really clear on what her attitude is. If her attitude is
> that it’s generally better to get journals online than to get them in
> print, then you’re right that her attitude is not uncommon. If her attitude
> is that if a journal is available only in print then it should be canceled,
> that would be a very unusual attitude for an administrator.
>
> ---
> Rick Anderson
> Assoc. Dean for Collections & Scholarly Communication
> Marriott Library, University of Utah
> Desk: (801) 587-9989
> Cell: (801) 721-1687
> rick.anderson at utah.edu
>
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