University Libraries
University of Georgia
Annual Report
March 31, 2008
Highlighted Achievements
Retained Journals Needed to Support Research – Continuing costs increases for books,
journals, and databases, combined with budget cuts in recent years, have made it very
difficult to ensure the flow of scholarly publications needed to support research.
Fortunately, one-time funding from the University has allowed us to maintain adequate
funding and avoid major cancellations of journals, although some reductions have been
necessary.
Expanded Hours of the Student Learning Center – In response to requests from the
Student Government Association, the Provost provided funding to expand the hours of
the Student Learning Center to 24 hours most days during the semester. Under this new
schedule, the SLC opens at 11 a.m. on Sunday and does not close until 7 p.m. on Friday.
(Hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.) It is also notable that the gate count in the
SLC surpassed 2.2 million in 2007, an increase of 22% over the previous year.
Seven Year Review – A faculty committee completed a seven year program review of the
University Libraries. (www.libs.uga.edu/admin/2007_library_review_report.pdf) The
report was very positive and also helpful in pointing out several areas where improved
service would promote the Libraries' and University's goals. The review committee
commended the Libraries for maintaining excellent and effective service despite financial
austerity, applauded assessment efforts, and recognized the dedication of the staff while
urging additional funding for library materials and for salaries. The committee also
recommended that the Libraries' web site be continuously improved, that the quality of
public space be addressed, and that improved security be investigated.
Digital Backfile of the Red and Black – The Libraries have digitized over 100 years of the
student newspaper The Red and Black from its inception in 1893 to 1999. Keyword
searching is available and the file is proving to be a valuable tool to anyone interested in
the history of the University. It is freely available from the Libraries web site and also at
http://redandblack.libs.uga.edu. While valuable in itself, the project to digitize The Red
and Black is a model for the capture of other newspapers as part of the Georgia
Newspaper Project, an effort that has been housed at the Main Library since the early
1950's.
Planning Money for the Special Collections Libraries Building – This building is now the
top University priority for capital funding from the state. At their meeting in August
2007, the Board of Regents recommended that the Governor and Legislature allocate $1.5
million to finalize the planning in fiscal year 2009. The Governor included this funding
in his budget and, as of this date, the House and the Senate both included it in their
budgets. If this money is allocated, a complete design will be prepared along with
construction documents during the coming months in anticipation of construction funding
in fiscal year 2010. The University is requesting $30 million in state funding for
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construction which will be matched with $15 million in private funds for construction
plus $10 million in endowment funds that will support programs and collections in the
building. The Libraries and the University are well advanced in their efforts to raise the
private money.
Strategic Plan Changes
There have been no changes to the Strategic Plan.
The current Strategic Plan can be found on the Libraries Web Site at:
http://www.libs.uga.edu/staff/strategic.html
The Five-Year Program Plan is available at
http://dataserv.libs.uga.edu/assessment/fiveyearplan.html
The four goals listed in the Five-Year Program Plan are:
Goal 1: The Evolving Collection: Blending Access, Ownership, and Preservation – The
modern library collection is a mix of traditional print and a growing body of electronic
publications. Our challenge is providing the best blend of these resources in a package
that is easily understood and used.
Goal 2: The Teaching Library: Building Partnerships – The complexity of modern
information technology has required librarians to expand our original role as custodians
of books. We need to continue to actively seek opportunities to interact with faculty and
students and collaborate with them at all stages of the learning process and with all
sources and formats of information.
Goal 3: The Strengthened Heart of the University: Library Buildings – Even with
increased electronic resources, the library as a place is critical in higher education, as
evidenced by the Student Learning Center. We need to provide facilities that support a
community of scholars.
Goal 4: The Empowered Staff: Investing in the Staff and Faculty of the Libraries –
Librarians, archivists, IT professionals, and other staff provide services and programs that
are as vital as the collection to the mission of the University. We need to ensure that this
valuable group is trained, compensated, and given the resources they need.
Progress in Program Priorities
As requested, following is the text prepared for the FY09 budget process, edited slightly
for brevity and currency.
Ensure an Adequate Budget for Library Materials
The University Libraries have two distinct budgets: the budget for Personnel and
Operations and the budget for Library Materials. This second budget is a University-
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wide asset because it ensures access to the scholarly record that is essential for research
and instruction.
As with utilities like water and power, scholarly communication is beset by
uncontrollable cost increases. The price of publications, especially journals in both print
and electronic form, continues to rise at a rate beyond the cost of living. Across all types
of publications, we see increases that average about 5% per year. While the budget for
library materials has not kept pace with inflation, careful management and one-time
funding, combined with an increase to the base budget in FY06, have allowed us to avoid
significant journal cancellations in recent years.
We started FY08 facing a significant shortfall in the Library Materials Budget. In July,
the University Administration provided $500,000 in one time funding and also directed
that $400,000 from the insurance settlement from the 2003 fire in the Main Library be
used to off-set this shortfall. More recently, the Provost provided an additional $365,000
with the result that no journal cancellations will be required in FY08. A total, then, of
$1,265,000 in one-time funds has been provided in FY08.
Looking toward FY09, the Libraries expect to have $9.3 million in budgeted funds but
will face expenditures of $11.3 million just to maintain the current level of
acquisitions. Thus, we face a shortfall of $1.9 million in FY09.
A base budget increase combined with an ongoing inflationary adjustment, as specified in
the University’s Strategic Plan, would allow the Libraries to continue to purchase books,
journals, databases, and other resources at the current level. While an increase to the base
budget is preferred, the use of one-time funds to close this gap would also be welcome.
Without additional funds, we will cancel about 20% of our journals and databases. The
impact of such a reduction will be devastating, especially to research activities. Based on
the current use of our electronic journals, we would be unable to provide over 250,000
needed articles.
The most recent information available shows that for FY06 we ranked 38th out of the 113
members of the Association of Research Libraries for expenditures for Library Materials,
down from 33rd in FY05. We have never before ranked lower than 35th and our average
rank over the past twenty years has been 31st.
At the request of the University Administration, the Libraries did prepare program
enhancement requests for the Regents requesting a total increase of $1.9 million in FY09
to support our subscriptions to these vital journals and databases.
It was also encouraging that President Adams recognized the Provost's concern for this
problem and voiced the need for library resources in his recent State of the University
Address. To quote from this address:
The Provost has focused on finding more resources for the libraries, which is an
ongoing challenge given the increasing costs, in particular, of journals and online
subscriptions for the kinds of materials that a top research faculty needs. A great
library is the heart of a great university, and we must continue to find the
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resources to keep the UGA Libraries well-funded and functioning in support of
the academic mission. (January 17, 2008)
Increase Classified Staff Salaries
Salaries for classified library employees are painfully low and do not reflect the
sophisticated and complex activities that are required to organize, preserve, and interpret
library resources and services. The work frequently requires a college degree and many
of our employees have significant supervisory responsibilities. Despite these
responsibilities and requirements, 39% of our classified staff are within $3,000 of the
University’s lowest base of $20,000 and 56% are within $3,000 of the base of their
classification minimum salary (with 45% of those at base).
Our turnover rate in FY07 was 21% among classified staff. Salary is the reason most
frequently given for leaving a position in the Libraries. An FY06 study found that staff
are satisfied with their work, with the organization, and with how their values mesh with
the Libraries’. However, many seek to leave because of low salaries.
Increase Library Faculty Salaries
The median salary for librarians employed by the University Libraries has fallen
dramatically in recent years. In FY2000, we ranked 63rd out of the 113 members of the
Association of Research Libraries. By FY07, we had fallen to 104th.
Increase Student Wage Budget to Meet Minimum Wage
We will need to increase our expenditures for student assistants by $60,000 a year in each
of the next two fiscal years to match the phased increase to the minimum wage. Any
assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Expand and Improve Available Space

Special Collections Libraries Building. At this time, this building is projected to
contain between 100,000 and 110,000 square feet and cost $45M. One-third of
the money will be raised privately and to date we have realized nearly $11M of
the $15M needed. The Regents have requested that the state allocate $1.5M in
planning funds for FY09 and the Governor, the House, and the Senate have all
specified that amount in their versions of the budget. We have re-engaged the
architectural firm of Collins Cooper Carusi to update the schematic drawings of
the building and to be ready to proceed with construction documents once the
planning money is approved. If all goes well, construction funding should be
allocated in FY10 and we will be ready to go to construction very quickly. We
have also raised over $6M in endowment funds that are contingent upon
construction of the building.

Collection Storage. Shelving in the Main and Science Libraries is very tight. The
Library Repository provides overflow shelving, but it is nearly full. The Special
Collections Libraries Building will resolve this problem by freeing space in the
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Main Library, but it could be three to five years before it is complete. During
FY09, we expect to consolidate some departments in the Main Library and to
remove student seating to accommodate additional shelving. We will recoup this
seating once we occupy the Special Collections Building.

Remodel Main and Science Library Entry Floors. A recent survey found that
students do not find the Main and the Science libraries to be as conducive to study
as the Student Learning Center. MRR requests have been submitted to enhance
the entry floors of these two buildings.

New Fine Arts Library. With the construction of the new Art School, most of the
faculty and students who use the art and music collections will be located on East
Campus. It would be ideal to construct a new Fine Arts Library near the Schools
of Art and Music. It is estimated that such a building would cost about $15M. If
the University will designate a site for this proposed building, the Libraries could
provide some private money to prepare a preliminary design that could then be
used in an attempt to raise the $15M privately, in cooperation with the Schools of
Art and Music.
Adequately Staff Student Learning Center
With the recent increase in funding to expand the hours of the Student Learning Center,
the library component of the building is now adequately staffed. This support is greatly
appreciated and will enhance this heavily used facility.
Assessing Effectiveness
Seven Year Program Review – As discussed above, a program review of the Libraries
was completed in the past year. The report of the review committee commends the
Libraries on its core services and collections while also suggesting areas where attention
might yield significant enhancements. The report also stresses the need for increased
funding for library materials and for salaries.
LibQUAL – The Libraries completed participation in the latest round of LibQUAL, a
national survey of libraries that attempts to measure service and collection quality in a
broad context. The results proved very valuable to the Seven Year Review committee as
well as to the Libraries. LibQUAL attempts to measure user expectations and
satisfaction. The UGA Libraries compare very favorably to our peer institutions and
even more favorably when compared with the aspirational institutions. The two biggest
areas of concern that emerged were the size and scope of the collection and the quality of
the physical space in the Main Library and the Science Library.
In addition to LibQUAL, the Libraries undertook other surveys and assessments. These
studies can be accessed at the Libraries' Assessment Steering Committee's web site at
www.libs.uga.edu/assessment. Also, a major survey of students and faculty regarding
their use of the Main Library is currently underway.
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