In the opinion of Cayelan Carey '06, "the library is one of the major jewels of this campus." That is one of the main reasons why Carey, a four term veteran at the Berry Reference Desk, is currently one of two undergraduate members of the Council on Libraries.
The Council on Libraries is a group that meets monthly to deliberate on the allocation of resources and the organizational structure of Baker Berry and the satellite libraries. The Council is comprised of Provost Barry Scherr, College Librarian Richard Lucier, a representative from the Office of the Dean of the College, six members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, one faculty member from each of the three professional schools, two undergrads, and one graduate student. This diverse committee seeks to ensure that the libraries continue to meet the research needs of its patrons and maintain a level of excellence.
The Council's task is continuously growing more difficult given the expanding nature of research libraries, the increasing cost of maintaining them, campus-wide budget cuts and a recent resignation.
Lucier, who has led the process of adapting and updating the library, has declared that he will step down as Librarian when his three year contract expires on January 30, 2004. Lucier oversaw the transition from Baker Library to Baker Berry composite and spearheaded the creation of the digital library, which was implemented in the fall of 2002. He had previously created a digital library linking the various University of California campuses.
While such additions were essential to maintaining the research quality of the Dartmouth Libraries, they have presented fiscal problems " especially given recent budget cuts. The Council on Libraries constantly addresses how to maintain both a traditional and a digital library on a fixed or decreased budget.
This predicament has been amplified by the current upsurge in both the cost and volume of scholarly publishing -- a product of the increasing pressure on professors to publish and earn tenure.
"The sustainable business model for the traditional library has broken down, it does not exist any longer, and we are heading for total destruction in the United States with respect to our university libraries unless and until we are able to develop a new sustainable financial model," Lucier said in a lecture at University of Leeds several years ago.
Staff cuts have already been made, and, according to Carey, cuts will inevitably resume. Carey said that right now she would rather see collections cut than see more long time staff members laid off. Kathryn Cottingham, an associate professor of biology and the newly appointed chair of the Council on Libraries, declined to comment.
Another highly contested issue is the assumption of smaller satellite libraries into the Baker Berry composite. Lucier has preferred consolidation to the maintenance of the smaller branch libraries. In respect to this matter, the College has often been at odds with many members of the faculty and the student body. In November of 2002, 540 students signed a petition opposing the planned consolidation of the Sherman Art library with Baker Berry. Sherman continues to function as a separate library with a separate staff. Some of its services, however, were transferred to Baker Berry. Carey expressed that the Council wants "to try to maintain the individual character of all the libraries."
The lack of adequate computer maintenance in Baker Berry is on the coming year's agenda for Scherr and other college officials. A separate committee is currently handling the hiring of a new head librarian for the upcoming year. Until his resignation, Lucier will continue to run meetings of the Council on Libraries.
