Re: Invoking Cloture (Again) on "Serials Crisis = Library Underfunding"

From: Albert Henderson <chessNIC_at_compuserve.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Oct 2002 17:32:45 +0100

        I must point out that every source of statistics clearly shows
        that college and universities now allocate to libraries only half
        of their 1970 level of spending. That _must_ have some impact
        on how many librarians are employed in the academic sector.
        It must affect librarians' career prospects. While David and
        other managers on this forum defend decimated collections
        and mediocre resources, there are any number of students,
        faculty, post-graduate researchers, and academic senates who
        have passionately decried the sorry state of library resources
        at major 'research universities.'

        Unfortunately, many students, faculty, and researchers tolerate
        the management line. They bypass the library for online
        information, unaware of or inured to the poor quality of their
        results. This attitude cost the life of a research subject at
        Johns Hopkins last year -- an institution with a good library and
        many librarians. Neither the principal researcher nor the peer
        panel that ok'd the research bothered to check the literature
        beyond a very few online resources according to the Baltimore Sun.

        In short, the open access movement continues to threaten library
        spending with promises of a windfall that can only sink to the
        'bottom line' of institutional profitability. Worse, it imperils
        the quality of education and research while making claims of
        excellence.

        Best wishes,

    Albert Henderson
    Former Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 1994-2000
    <70244.1532_at_compuserve.com>
Received on Tue Oct 08 2002 - 17:32:45 BST