Cuts to univ. journal collection worry graduate students

Planned updates to the university's libraries have left some graduate students worrying that improving the buildings' ambiance will come at the expense of maintaining vital academic resources.

A library strategic plan released this month calls for creating "a physical and intellectual environment that inspires and supports excellence," but even as library officials say there are no looming cuts to print or electronic journals, graduate students say those materials remain the libraries' reason for existence.

"I don't do much of anything at the library except for look up journal articles," said physics doctoral student Michelle Groce, a Graduate Student Government student representative. "Most of [our] interaction with the libraries is based on these subscriptions."

Groce said she nonetheless was looking forward to promised renovations to the Terrapin Learning Commons, a sophisticated, computer-driven study space on the second floor of McKeldin Library. But GSG President Anupama Kothari said that's not where priorities should lie.

"I'm a little nervous hearing about ‘learning commons' and not enough about journal subscriptions," Kothari said.

Last year, the university's library system cut about 9 percent of the system's scholarly journal collection because it couldn't afford the cost of academic journals — a cost that has risen more steeply than the rate of inflation — even after being allocated an extra $500,000.

"Without journal subscriptions, we wouldn't be able to do our classwork — much less our dissertations — so, if they keep cutting journals, I wouldn't know what we would do," said Mary Furlong, an archaeology graduate student.

Libraries Dean Patricia Steele said there are no new cuts for journal subscriptions or electronic resources this fiscal year, which runs through June 30. She added that she has met with graduate students from a variety of disciplines to address their concerns.

At the heart of any possible cuts lies the issue of money. If the library lacks new sources of money, Steele said, officials must further analyze the distribution of funds.

"We've had success in fundraising," Steele said. "We can't just look at this one way. Libraries all over the country are facing the same problem. This university is not the only one."

mquijada at umdbk dot com