University Library Committee 1995-1996

Serials Cancellation memos

Memos from Lucy Lynch and Ray Weldon re Serials Cancellation

Memo from Lucy Lynch re Serials Cancellation

The following are a pair of e-mail communications from Lucy Lynch and Ray Weldon to Peter Gilkey (Chair of the University Library Committee) dated 30 November 1995. They deal with the serials cancellation project and have been forwarded to the Library Committee. Comments regarding these memos can be sent to Peter Gilkey email: gilkey@math.uoregon.edu

From llynch@uoregon.edu Thu Nov 30 11:01 PST 1995 Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 11:00:57 -0800 (PST) From: "Lucy E. Lynch" Subject: Serials Cuts and the 70/30 balance To: gilkey@uoregon.edu

Peter -

In reviewing the minutes of our first couple of meetings I find a generalized discussion about the need to maintain a balance between serials and monographs (the driving need for current cuts) and a suggestion that we need to maintain a 70/30 balance between "continuing commitments" and "discretionary" moneys. (10/11/95) We then plunged into a discussion of Deb's budget models, and a dollar amount ($500,000) in serial cuts that might help maintain the 70/30 ratio that the Library advocates.

By the time we get to our second meeting we have the following issues:

1. Conduct serials cancellation this year or postpone?
2. How much to cut? $500,000 or less?
3. How to implement the serials cancellation project?
4. Levels of cuts: across-the-board percentage, or cuts based on average inflation rates for each fund? (10/25/95)

At this point all discussion moves to the serials side of the equation and the discretionary moneys drop out of sight.

While I understand the current need to identify the exact amounts & methods of the purposed cuts, I don't want to lose sight of the big picture. If we cut $500,000. from "continuing commitments" where does the money go? I ASSUME it goes to monographs (books) but we have not clearly stated such a motion. If individual departments take a loss in serials - will they expect to see a gain in monographs? My understanding from Deb is that some departments rely more on monographs (English) while others use mostly serials (Math) - I'd like a clearer picture of the budget distribution for monographs (by department) before we commit to serials cuts.

I suspect that this is not a zero sum equation (Math won't lose X dollars in serials and gain the same X dollars in monographs). We may want to consider the re-distribution of the $500,000 in determining which departments gain or lose in the serials cuts.

At the very least, I'd like to purpose a motion to asure that the money cut from serials goes to monographs, since I believe this was our original intent. It would also be nice to have spread sheet for monographs like the one we have for serials :-)

- LEL

From: ray@newberry.uoregon.edu (Ray Weldon) Subject: Re: Memo from Lynch

Peter:

I agree strongly with the memo from Lynch. We decided, or I at least thought we did, to look at these broader issues once the crises of getting the cut on track is over. I really hope we follow through, so that the next time I'm on this committee we don't do it once again.

Ray

Dr. Ray J. Weldon II Associate Professor, Structural Geology Geological Sciences, 1272 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 email: ray@newberry.uoregon.edu tel. (541) 346-4584 (FAX-4692) WWW: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~neotect/index.html

Maintained by: Sheila Gray, skgray@uoregon.edu

Last Modified: 08/18/2006