“The long-term space plan is not associated with any layoffs,” said library representative Jeff MacKie-Mason in a written statement to SFGATE. It appears that library staff members will not be terminated as a result of the mergers, either. Evans Hall - one of the most hated buildings on campus - which houses the math library, is slated for demolition, though it’s still unclear what plans are in store for the anthropology and physics library spaces. The Mathematics Statistics Library received almost 40% fewer visitors after COVID-19 struck, though the Physics-Astronomy library maintained more than 75% of its monthly visitors. Prior to 2020, the Anthropology Library had just over 3,600 visits each month before declining to 1,056 “ post-pandemic,” the library said in October. However, thousands of students still collectively visit these libraries. “While many people in the campus community expressed regret and disappointment that some campus libraries would close and some hours would be reduced, the Library does not have the resources to sustain all locations as they have been,” the February plan says.
“Keeping study spaces open while eliminating access to study material is deceptive, destructive.” “Closing libraries is equivalent to cutting curriculum, perhaps more severe,” an anonymous public commenter said in the report. One of the commenters called the proposal “deeply concerning,” while another described it as draconian, the university said in the February document. Responses to the plan also revealed some discontent. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.) Last week, they organized a sit-in to protest the closure of the Anthropology Library, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The result of that process was the finalized plan released last month, which confirmed the closure of the three libraries.Īlready, students have pushed back against the university’s plan. The two largest portions of the Library’s expenses are the acquisition/licensing budget and the personnel budget,” the university wrote in the October proposal.Īfter the proposal was released in the fall, UC Berkeley opened up a feedback process, which involved an online form as well as in-person forums and meetings. “The UC Berkeley Library is facing a significant structural budget deficit and in fiscal year 2023 the Library must begin to reduce expenses to align with our revenue.
In that proposal, the library system suggested reducing service and shuttering some locations to help account for financial and staffing shortfalls.
The restructuring comes after the UC Berkeley Library initiated a review process last fall to “refresh its strategic plan,” per a proposal written in October 2022.
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