Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 33, Number 10. 8 July, 1970
Spending Cuts... — Library hit hard
Spending Cuts...
Library hit hard
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A law faculty lecturer takes a statement from one of the defendants in the cases arising out of the anti-Tour demonstrations.
Victoria University' s library experienced a severe financial trauma in 1969, according to the Report of the Librarian tabled at the June meeting of the University Council.
With an increase in book issues of 11.5% over 1968, the numbers of books and periodicals taken into stock was more than 4,000 less in 1969 than in 1968.
Total library expenditure dropped from $323,866 to $277,674 and expenditure on books and periodicals from $140,366 to $104,515.
The Librarian, Mr Sage, reported that the impact of this reduction was magnified by the continuing effect of the devaluation of November 1967 and continued rises in the price of books and journals at the source of publication.
Mr Sage disclosed that in the current quinquennium (1970-1975) Victoria University had asked that the rate of intake for books and periodicals should rise from the 1968 rate of 4.1 volumes per equivalent full-time student to 7.5 volumes per equivalent full-time student in 1974. In 1969 the figure fell to 2.9.
Under such conditions, the Librarian could well have repeated the words of his 1968 Report: 'Unless progress can be accelerated, it will take many years to reach the figure of half a million volumes, which is a very modest measure of the environment in which a research worker can safely commence his work without fear of uneconomic duplication of effort or of being delayed and frustrated by lack of printed material".
With a total collection of 264,544 volumes in stock at December 31, 1969 and an increase of less than 45,000 volumes since the same date in 1967, Mr Sage reported that the sums of money available for 1970 will not enable the library to even reach the 1968 rate of 4.1 volumes per equivalent full-time student.
"No system of guidelines for budget allocation whether based on student or staff numbers or any other criteria can disguise a grossly inadequate book purchasing fund," Mr Sage reported.
"If the University wishes to ameliorate this situation in the present quinquennnium it can only be done by a critical re-examination of its present financial priorities in order to achieve a very substantial increase in the Library's recurring grant."