Chancellor Linda Katehi has sent the following e-mail Nov. 9 to the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors, and to the several faculty members who had written to her regarding the library.

Dear Colleagues:

Thank you for making me aware of faculty concerns about the General Library’s proposal to restructure its sciences libraries. I understand that you, those who may have co-signed your letters, and others who have written to me have deep concerns about the effect that moving library materials—primarily print materials in the Biological-Agricultural Sciences collections—will have upon your students and your research. With your concerns in mind, I have determined that it will be best for us to reset the consultation process in regard to the General Library’s budget situation for 2009-10 and beyond—we will start over.

I have asked Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lavernia, in consultation with Academic Senate Chair Powell, to propose a process that will begin with a full discussion of the issues facing the library this year and beyond. While the library, like every campus unit, is facing very serious budget challenges, we must examine more fully how it can best serve the needs of a 21st-century academic community. This discussion will occur shortly in the Council of Deans and Vice Chancellors, the Academic Senate Library Committee and other Senate forums that the Academic Senate may recommend. The process will proceed by providing multiple opportunities for the faculty to engage in suggesting and reviewing options for addressing today’s budget reductions that do not jeopardize the quality of library services and collections in the future.

Please accept my assurances that this process will be open in terms of broad participation by the faculty, in the fact that we will listen carefully to your ideas and in terms of the range of options we will consider for addressing the library’s budget challenges. I look forward to your active engagement as we proceed.

Please feel free to forward this message to others who share your concerns.

Best,

Linda P.B. Katehi
Chancellor