Smathers Libraries Budget Planning, 2009-2010

UF Trustees Vote to Cut University Budget by $42.2 Million

2009-05-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Board of Trustees met by conference call on Tuesday and voted unanimously to reduce the University budget for 2009-2010 by $42.2 million. Additional details are available in the May 27th issue of the Gainesville Sun (http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090527/ARTICLES/905271004/1002?Title=UF-trustees-vote-to-cut-school-s-budget-by-42-2M).

2009-2010 Libraries Budget Reduction

2009-05-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year President Machen asked all major units to prepare proposals for a 10% permanent reduction in state budget [appropriations] currently allocated to the unit. The Libraries were asked to identify budget cuts of $387,799 from the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) and $2.278 million from Smathers Libraries, for a total of $2,665,799.

Last week, we were informed that Libraries budget will be reduced by $642,296 (2.4%). The reductions are based on the Libraries priorities as submitted. This level of budget cuts does not require any faculty or staff layoffs or cuts in the materials budget.

The operations budget will be reduced by $66,250; OPS funding will be reduced by $232,978; and salaries and benefits will be reduced by $343,068. All of these cuts are from the Smathers Libraries budget; there are no cuts in the HSCL budget.

A Town Hall meeting on the Libraries 2009-2010 budget was held on Tuesday, May 26th. The PowerPoint presentation from that meeting provides additional details. It is available on the blog.

Town Hall Meeting on May 26th Confirmed; Proposed University Budget Released

2009-05-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday President Machen released the proposed University Budget. The Smathers Libraries, including the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL), will not have any faculty or staff layoffs and there will be no reduction (other than the loss of purchasing power) in our materials budgets. The Libraries budget will be reduced by $642,296 (2.4%), based on the Libraries priorities as submitted.

A town hall meeting on the Libraries budget is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, at 2 p.m. in Smathers 1A. At that meeting we will discuss the implications of the Libraries' budget cuts identified by President Machen.

Town Hall Meeting TENTATIVELY Scheduled for May 26th

2009-05-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

A Town Hall Meeting on the 2009-2010 Budget for the Smathers Libraries, including the Health Science Center Libraries, has been TENTATIVELY scheduled for Tuesday, May 26th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in Smathers (Library East) Room 1A.

I am expecting to receive the 2009-2010 budget from the Provost next week; however, if I do not have official information by the 26th, the meeting will be postponed.

Although this meeting will be specific to the Smathers Libraries budget, including the Health Science Center Libraries, it is an open meeting and individuals from the Legal Information Center and FCLA are welcome to come. University Libraries Committee members are also invited.

Request for Additional Support From the Division of Sponsored Research (DSR)

2009-04-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I sent the following e-mail message to Frank Ward in the UF Division of Sponsored Research (DSR) on behalf of the Smathers Libraries, including HSCL:

I have attached a PDF File of my letter in response to your April 6^th inquiry about how the Libraries used the DSR funds provided to us in 2008-2009. The letter will be delivered to your office later today.

I have used your request for information as an opportunity to address, once again, the Libraries’ need for increased funding from DSR to sustain the range of resources currently available to the many researchers who have been so successful in bringing research grants and contracts to the University.

The Smathers Libraries and the Health Science Center Libraries have lost $1.7 million in purchasing power in the three years from 2007-2008 through 2009-2010. DSR support is more important than ever as we endeavor to allocate increasingly scarce resources to support the information needs of research faculty, staff and students.

I recognize that this is a difficult year for the University and that there are many demands being made for scarce resources. I hope that you will consider increasing your support for UF researchers through this investment in the Libraries as you make the DSR resource allocation decisions. Wallace [McLendon] and I would be happy to meet with you or to provide more information if that would be helpful.

The complete letter is available here on the blog along with links to other documents related to the budget planning process.

Budget Message to President Machen and Provost Glover

2009-04-17T04:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I sent the following message to President Machen and Provost Glover:

This afternoon at the Faculty Senate meeting, you asked that we make recommendations directly to you and bring other relevant information to your attention.

I have been informed by the deans of libraries at FSU and USF that their universities have decided not to include the libraries’ materials budgets in the proposed cuts.

In the April 1st submission, we identified $993,942 in cuts to the materials budget for the Smathers Libraries, including HSCL, on top of $534,738 in lost purchasing power.

As the University Library Committee stated in its resolution in support of the Libraries’ budget, “A cut in library budgets would have a detrimental effect on every educational and research program at the University.”

The Libraries’ budgets were held harmless in 2008-2009 in spite of the difficult economic situation and the campus was grateful, as were the Libraries’ faculty and staff. I hope you will consider a similar protection for the Libraries this year, at least for the materials budget.

Thank you.

Provost Glover replied:

Thanks Judy. We will give your comments serious consideration. As you can imagine, the final determination may depend on how many degrees of freedom we have after the Legislature acts. -- Joe

2009-2010 Materials Budget Cuts by Circle

2009-04-14T14:46:00.000-07:00

A PDF file has been posted to the blog that itemizes the proposed cuts in the 2009-2010 materials budget by circle. This includes both the reductions necessitated by loss of purchasing power due to price increases and the cuts identified in response to the request to plan for a 10% reduction in funding.

Questions can be posted to the blog or sent to the Senior Associate Dean and the Dean. If you wish to recommend substitutions, please provide a rationale/justification for the change.

Moderating the Blog

2009-04-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

I have changed this blog to moderate comments before they are posted. I did not do this lightly or without careful consideration, and I do it with some reluctance.

The purpose of this blog is to solicit a broad base of input to a process which is affecting our entire organization and the campus we serve. It is not to provide a forum for anonymous personal attacks. I will withhold comments that are demeaning or intimidating to specific individuals. All other comments and questions will be posted promptly. (NOTE: The comments that have been posted to date would all have been posted under this standard.)

I will continue to allow anonymous posts so that people who wish to express relevant opinions will have a place to speak, even if they do not they wish to be identified. I believe it is important to offer that option. I do not want the fact that the blog is moderated to have a chilling affect on its legitimate use to express opinions, so please continue to submit your questions, comments or suggestions.

2009-2010 Budget Reduction Proposal for the George A. Smathers Libraries, Including the Health Science Center Libraries

2009-04-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

On April 1st, the Libraries submitted our 2009-2010 budget reduction proposal to the Provost. The Libraries were asked to identify budget cuts of $387,799 from the Health Science Center Libraries and $2.278 million from the Smathers Libraries, for a total of $2,665,799.

The 10% budget reduction proposal was submitted on a spreadsheet and accompanied by a narrative. Both documents are posted here on the blog as PDF files.

The narrative includes the University Library Committee resolution in support of the Libraries' budgets and identifies strategic decisions reflected in the proposed personnel reductions. It also documents that the Libraries will have lost $1.7 million in purchasing power in the three years from 2007-2008 through 2009-2010, independent of any reduction in our materials budget, due to price increases in the print and electronic information resources that we acquire for our users.

Second Town Hall Meeting Scheduled

2009-03-11T14:33:00.000-07:00

A Town Hall Meeting on the Smathers Libraries 2009-2010 Budget has been scheduled for Monday, March 23rd. It will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Smathers (Library East) Room 1A. Although this meeting is specific to the Smathers Libraries budget, not the Health Science Center Libraries, the Legal Information Center or FCLA budgets, it is an open meeting and individuals from those organizations are welcome to come.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the revisions to the proposed budget for the Smathers Libraries in advance of its submission to the Provost on April 1st. This will be an opportunity to receive a briefing on the updated proposal as well as to ask questions and provide comments.

DRAFT Budget Reduction Proposal

2009-03-02T05:22:00.000-08:00

The PowerPoint presentation from the Town Hall Meeting held on Friday, February 27th, is available here on the blog and at: http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/pio/budget/Budget_Presentation02272009.pdf.

You can provide your comments and questions through the blog, or you can speak to your department chair (or equivalent), the directors and associate deans, or to me. We will try to capture the verbal questions and comments and incorporate them into the blog so everyone will have the information.

You can also help by providing suggestions for the impact statements that will accompany every proposed cut. These statements need to address how the changes we are proposing will affect our users.

I would like to have all the questions and comments by March 17th, so we can prepare an updated proposal to share with you in another Town Hall Meeting on or about March 19th. That will give us time to make final revisions to the budget proposal that will be submitted to the Provost on April 1st.

Thank you all for the sincere efforts that you are making to help us identify, describe and prioritize the proposed cuts. I know this is very difficult for everyone.

Town Hall Meeting Rescheduled

2009-02-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

The Town Hall Meeting on the Smathers Libraries 2009-2010 Budget has been rescheduled for Friday, February 27^th. It will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in Smathers (Library East) Room 1A. Although this meeting is specific to the Smathers Libraries budget, not the Health Science Center Libraries, the Legal Information Center or FCLA budgets, it is an open meeting and individuals from those organizations are welcome to come.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the proposed budget for the Smathers Libraries in advance of its submission to the Provost on April 1st. This will be an opportunity to receive a briefing on the proposal as well as to ask questions and provide initial comments.

Please remember that this is only a budget proposal. Later this spring, we will receive a response from the Provost and more specific budget guidance from the President. We will not know our actual budget until the Board of Trustees approves the University Budget in early June.

President Machen has set up a site for budget information, including questions & answers (Q&A) at: http://budget.president.ufl.edu/. This site will be updated throughout the budget process, so I encourage you to look at it periodically.

The Faculty Senate has a budget blog at: http://blog.senate.ufl.edu/. This is another excellent source of information and opinion about the University-wide budget process.

This blog is a means to share comments and questions specific to the Smathers Libraries budget and budget process. I encourage you to participate.

University Libraries Committee Resolution

2009-02-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

At its January meeting, the University Libraries Committee passed the following resolution in support of the UF Libraries' budgets:

"The University Library Committee strongly supports the retention of the budgets of the Smathers, Law and Health Science Center libraries at no less than the July 1, 2008 level. We are making this recommendation because the libraries are integral to the research and educational mission of the University, as stated in the Strategic Work Plan. A cut in library budgets would have a detrimental effect on every educational and research program at the University."

Budget Planning Information Resources

2009-02-19T05:16:00.000-08:00

Other information resources with useful information about the University-wide budget planning are available.

The President has a website: Budget News: The Latest on the Budget at UF (http://budget.president.ufl.edu/).

The Faculty Senate has a budget blog (http://blog.senate.ufl.edu/).

The Libraries' blog will not be duplicating information from these sites, so you may wish to consult them periodically for up-to-date information that is beyond the scope of this blog.

Budget Planning for 2009-2010

2009-02-05T07:20:00.001-08:00

The Smathers Libraries will be submitting a proposed budget to the Provost on March 4, 2009. We are gathering recommendations from each department now. Those recommendations will be integrated by the Dean, Associate Deans and Directors and a consolidated proposal will be available the week of February 16th. A Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, February 19th, to provide a briefing on the proposal as well as to respond to questions and receive comments.

This blog is an additional means to share comments and questions specific to the Libraries budget and budget process.

President Machen has set up a site for University budget information, including questions & answers (Q&A) at: http://budget.president.ufl.edu/. This site will be updated throughout the budget process, so I encourage you to look at it periodically.

Please remember that we are currently preparing a proposed budget. Later this spring, we will receive a response from the Provost and more specific budget guidance from the President. The Libraries will not know our actual budget until the Board of Trustees approves the University Budget in early June.