Proposal from the Library Committee  --  11-8-2004
Referred to the Executive Committee, Planning & Budget Committee and the Tuition Advisory Committee for immediate action -- 11/22/04

WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE LIBRARY COMMITTEE

Budget Recommendation October, 2004

The Library Committee is deeply concerned about the deterioration in the libraries’ budget over the past years. As such, the committee wishes to propose the following:

The University Libraries’ budget should be at least 5% of the Wichita State University annual institutional budget (the total E&G expenses as defined in the IPEDS Glossary and listed in the Annual Financial Report of the university). This should be done as a gradual rise to 5%, at a rate of 0.6% per year, by the next HLC/NCA accreditation visit (AY 2007-2008) to reduce the immediate impact of reallocating the institutional budget.

The committee has determined five main reasons for this increase in funding.
    • First, the libraries’ budget has fallen steadily as a percentage of the institutional budget since the 1960s.
    • Second, faculty research activity has increased greatly since the 1980s. This had brought increased recognition and external grant support, but requires continuing availability of additional library resources.
    • Third, the cost of academic journals has increased much faster than the overall rate of inflation. Library budget increases have been below that rate, exacerbating the problems for continuing the present level of research.
     • Fourth, present funding levels contribute greatly to the danger of loss of discipline-based accreditation by some of our current programs. This encompasses both availability of materials and access to electronic resources.
    • Fifth, as many incoming students have never known a time without computers or the Internet, student expectations about the level of service from the library have increased, especially in the areas of on-line and electronic media. Additionally, a broader range of materials is needed to accommodate the increasing intellectual diversity of our students.

The committee believes that a minimum level of support for the libraries, fixed as a percentage of the institutional budget, is necessary not only for restoring the academic health of the libraries, but for the success of the overall mission of the university as well.

% Libraries E & G Expenditures to University Expenditures

Total Percent increase from 1993 to 2003                                                                             52.00%                         28.75%
Total Dollar increase over last 10 years                                                                             $ 52,090,349                 $1,108,034
Total Dollar increase if Library Budget increases had matched University's percent increase                                      $5,857,851
Additional dollars above current budget                                                                                                                     $ 896,036
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*Source of data: Wichita State University Annual Financial Report
Definition of E&G expenses: Costs incurred for goods or services used to provide instruction, public service, academic support, student services, institutional support,operation and maintenance of plant, and scholarships and services.
Source of definition: National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Glossary,
http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/glossary/index.asp?charindex=EPrepared by Kathy Downes for Senate Library Committee 10/06/04

Comparison of Peer Expenditures Based on ALS/IPEDS 2002

Prepared by Kathy Downes for
Faculty Senate Library Committee,
09/01/04