UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 2
September 12, 1996
Faculty Senate focuses on proposed journal cutbacks

     In a Sense of the Senate resolution passed Monday, the
University Faculty Senate asked that the library's proposed 30
percent cutback in scholarly journal orders for 1997-98 be
rescinded and that the senate's Executive Committee discuss the
matter with the president and provost at their next regular
meeting.
     Introduced last spring by Maurice Cope, art history, the
resolution recommends that the library's entire program of
cutbacks "be reconsidered in the light of the needs of various
departments, the state of technology and the actual availability
of articles of comparable quality from other sources."
     In discussion prior to the 36 to 9 vote, Cope said that
large cuts in journal articles since 1991 seriously threatened
teaching and academic research because "the newest discoveries
and information to back them up are contained initially in
journals." He said that most journals are not yet on-line and
argued that having to order each article separately will greatly
increase the time needed for research and its cost.  Xerox copies
are not always suitable for research, he said.
     Craig Wilson, library collections, indicated that 60 percent
of the library's $4.7 million material budget is dedicated to
journals and subscriptions, up from 50 percent four years ago.
     He said that the library cannot afford to let its budget
expand any further in support of journals. "If you subsidize
journals, you do that at the expense of books," he said.
     Indicating that all research libraries are canceling some
journals, Sandra Millard, library assistant director, said the
Current Contents/TOC system provides researchers access to a
portion of published articles. Using document-sharing
arrangements, most other journal articles can be delivered via
interlibrary loan within two or three days, she said.
     Sen. Edward Kerner said that the physics department endorsed
the resolution unanimously, believing the library cuts "are too
deep and too fast."
     Noting that "the library is doing a fine job with the
resources allocated to it," Sen. Len Schwartz, mechanical
engineering, said the percentage of the University's budget
allocated to the library has "gone down significantly."
     Sen. Steve Crawford, art history, noted that the University
of Delaware now ranks 65th for budgeted library materials among
the 107 members of the Association of Research Libraries.
     Disagreeing with the term "cuts,"  Provost Mel Schiavelli
said that the materials budget of the library has grown over the
last three years, but journal costs are inflating at a yearly
rate of 15-20 percent. "No library in the U.S. can withstand this
continued increase," he said.
     After the vote, Sen. Hugh Frick asked if use of on-line
journals will become "pay per view." Millard said the library
will purchase individual articles and, for now, fees will not be
passed on to the faculty.
     Parliamentarian Tom Angel asked whether professional
organizations that accredit departments require certain library
facilities, but Roger Murray, chemistry, indicated that the
minimum required for accreditation is quite low and library
support is not yet an issue.
     In other business, Robert Bennett of the Committee on
Student Life proposed that an earlier senate resolution ending
Greek pledging  by next fall be postponed until 1998-99, allowing
the University time to evaluate a new accreditation process for
Greek organizations.
     Tim Brooks, dean of students, passed out the proposed new
accreditation procedures, which will evaluate chapters on
academics, financial management, campus involvement, University
and community relations and membership and/or pledge programs.
     Senators agreed to study the new accreditation process and
vote on the resolution at their October meeting. 
-Cornelia Weil