San Francisco State University will reduce J. Paul Leonard Library’s funding by approximately 30% over the next two years. It is the latest educational resource affected by university budget cuts.
According to a statement on the library’s website, the budget will be cut by $400,000 per year totaling $800,000 by Fall 2025. The move will affect the library’s collections, which include books, journals, databases and media.
These reductions are part of ongoing campus-wide budget cuts as SFSU faces a $13.9 million budget deficit.
Dan Hellman, the collection and development coordinator for the library, explained that staff plans to work with faculty to discuss necessary resources, as well as analyze which journals and databases are least utilized by SFSU’s community to decide which resources to cut.
“We are just going to be trimming a lot of things that we’re not sure are essential to the collection,” Hellman said. “We will be consulting with faculty but we will also be looking at usage numbers.”
Discretionary funding, which allows librarians to purchase books they consider essential for the library’s collection including recommendations from professors, will face definitive cuts according to Hellman. However, the library will still be able to add new books to its collection through other outlets and pathways.
“It’s complicated but it doesn’t mean we won’t be getting books,” Hellman said. “We have a number of ways in which we’re getting both physical and e-books continuing to come into the collection, and some of that funding has been reduced, but not cut entirely.”
Mira Foster, SFSU liberal arts librarian, feels that the library is specifically well prepared for these cuts.
“Libraries are made for times like these,” Foster said. “Libraries purchase materials to keep when times aren’t so flush.”
The library plans on reaching out to colleges and programs to request feedback on these cuts.
“I don’t think this is a situation where there should be blame attributed to anybody,” Hellman said. “We’re living in really tough times on this campus. And I want to emphasize, I think this is just another situation where we all are going to need to collaborate to make for the best situation.”
