Issued by the YUFA  Information Officer & Bargaining Support Subcommittee cupe1281

What the reviewers said …
Excerpts from the Report of the Review Committee (5 May 2000)

'York University Libraries are significantly underfunded for the role they are expected to perform…and as a result are also unprepared (financially) for the new roles they must assume for the evolving University. The libraries have "made do" and worked well "under the circumstances" for many years but this is not a sustainable strategy. Staff overload and burnout are obvious and the ability to initiate new resources and services is severely constrained.'

'[T]here is a critical need to find increased, reliable funding for the Library.'

'The current level of library funding constrains innovation.'

'The question of funding is in large part a decision by the York community about the value of the Library in the fulfillment of the academic mission. Is "getting by" adequate?'

'With one of the country's lowest librarian/student/faculty ratio the reviewers were impressed with the number and quality of services YUL offers its users. The Librarians engaged in public service and collection development already do some faculty liaison but the Self Study and the consultation suggest a need for more interaction between faculty and librarians…Given the current demands on York's Librarians, doing more faculty liaison will be a difficult goal to achieve without an increase in the librarian complement.'

geoning workload of academic librarians: diminished resources for universities at large, including reductions of library staff; an increasingly managerial or corporatised style of governance at the highest levels; and an explosion in the complexity and sheer quantity of work to be done, largely due to the expansion of the role of information technology…more work, not less, as systems increase in diversity and complexity.'

'[An] illusion of economy [is] created by a reduction in reference statistics, because information technology often requires much more intensive and time-consuming "front-end" instruction than traditional facilities…users expect more than they used to: they will often have a computer and internet connection at home, and it is the librarian's expertise that they need.  In the field of reference this means a longer interview, and therefore fewer interviews in a given period of time.'

'Unless there are mechanisms whereby librarians can control their workload, it will inevitably increase without limit, and the quality of work and of life both will continue to plummet.'

'A threshold set by the librarians will have the greatest likelihood of being appropriate…An institution's own librarians are best suited and best placed to know what it can accomplish successfully.'

'Academic librarians' work consists of at least 3 distinct activities: professional practice, academic service and research or professional development …The balance among them must be recognized, and the opportunity to accomplish all of them provided.'