28 April 2005

Dear Vice Chancellor Redding,

            The Library Advisory Committee of the UCCS Faculty Representative Assembly wishes to express its sincere thanks to you for ongoing funding of the Library. The committee recognizes the vital role the library plays in student success, as well as the crucial function of the library in supporting faculty research by providing the tools (literature searches and reference support) for developing and writing grants. With annual inflationary increases to the library (3% in FY04, 0% in FY05) lagging far behind annual materials inflation (approximately 7.3%), the library is currently facing a de facto cut in its buying power of $112,229.

            In these times of budgetary emergency, the committee knows that the allocation of every dollar on campus requires painstaking deliberation. Yet as faculty representatives, the Library Advisory Committee is deeply concerned about the potential negative impact that our inability to fund the library at a rate that keeps pace with materials inflation has on our overall ability to maintain or increase our standing in national ratings of universities. Though in recent years the library has managed to mitigate the effects of cuts through the creative use of electronic databases, its ability to mask the effects of chronic under funding cannot continue indefinitely.

            Unimpeded access to scholarly materials through shared electronic resource packages has encouraged excellence of instruction at all levels. Our beautiful new building draws students to the library, but it is the richness of our collection that continues to make the library a significant resource for both students and faculty.

            The challenges of continued campus growth coupled with Chancellor’s stated long-term goal of changing our Carnegie rating from an MA 1 campus to a Doctoral 1 institution mean that we rely on you to help us secure creative and reliable ways both to maintain and to enhance our current resources. Continued funding of the Library at a rate that keeps pace with materials inflation will enhance our electronic “University without Walls” and enable us to live up to our mandate under the Vision CU 2010 as the premier regional comprehensive research institution in the nation. The faculty thanks you sincerely for moving the Kraemer Family Library toward excellence, and we trust in your continued support.

Sincerely,

The Library Advisory Committee of the Representative Faculty Assembly