Budget Concerns For University of Minnesota Libraries

From The Minnesota Daily:

The Twin Cities campus’ own library system is projected to take a budget cut this year. In their current state, it will be difficult for the 13 campus libraries to shrink their budget, library leaders say.
Last fiscal year the library also ran into monetary trouble. While their budget was not decreased, their funding was not increased by the about $400,000 it needed to meet inflation.
The Twin Cities libraries were supplied one-time funds by Provost Karen Hanson to bridge the deficit but still were forced to cancel about $200,000 dollars in journals and databases, said Wendy Lougee, the University librarian.
The libraries need to continue making cuts to be within budget, she said.
“We will gradually be reducing journals and [book] commitments,” Lougee said.
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It is difficult for the library to make cuts because online journal packages, the three largest of which alone make up 40 percent of the libraries’ budget, come as a package deal, she said. Any cuts in journals will result in the rest of the package’s price being raised, making cost reduction difficult Lougee said.

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