Chapter 4
Resources

 

4.6 Library

The Melvin J. Zahnow Library supports the mission of the University by providing cultural, intellectual, and educational resources. The Library provides a central facility for study and research and serves as a portal to virtual resources. Organizationally, the Library is divided into five units: administration, circulation, reference, the Student Technology Center, and technical services.

The Library provides comprehensive services to both on- and off-campus users. Extensive electronic resources are available by access to online databases and web sites. Information literacy skills are enhanced through classroom and individual instruction on library use. The library is a member of an interlibrary loan network consisting of over 45,000 participating libraries, which enlarges the volume of material available to customers.

As described previously, the Library facility recently underwent a $10 million renovation and fourth floor addition that added 21,000 square feet. As a result, the Library now provides collaborative workspace for faculty and students, additional space for collections, a library instruction lab, network connections for laptop computers throughout the building, a café, the Student Technology Center, and the Roberta R. Allen Reading Room for special functions such as author readings, book discussion groups, and displays of student art works. Since the prior accreditation visit, the volume of Library collections has increased. The Library now totals over 613,000 volumes, compared to 469,000 volumes in 1993. This increase is due in large part to the acquisition and licensing of electronic information resources. The Library began subscribing heavily to online resources in 1999 and currently has access to over 7,300 E-books, 8,500 E-journals, and 80+ electronic databases. The Library participates in the group purchasing program coordinated by the Michigan Library Consortium, which permits the licensing of several online databases at a lower cost than it could obtain on its own.

Ongoing funding for Library operations and acquisitions is provided by the General Fund budget. Additional funding, as part of the Academic Technology Plan, has been provided annually since 2001 for the acquisition of additional databases and for upgrading the Library’s integrated system to the next level of web-based products. In the university's General Fund budget for FY2004, 2.58% is allocated to the library. Library acquisitions are determined with faculty input and consider enrollment information, cost, and available budget.

Library Budget and Acquisitions

FY
General Fund Budget
Library Allocation
Academic Technology Fund Allocation
Combined Library + ATF Allocation
Combined % of GF Budget
2000
49,357,812
1,497,561
n/a
1,497,561
3.03%
2001
54,933,150
1,545,930
20,000
1,565,930
2.85%
2002
58,916,300
1,620,337
20,000
1,640,337
2.78%
2003
62,911,300
1,689,462
20,600
1,710,062
2.72%
2004
67,046,000
1,707,018
20,600
1,727,618
2.58%

 

Expenditures:
FY1999
FY2000
FY2001
FY2002
FY2003
Books / Standing Orders
$255,800.68
$251,370.78
$254,249.91
$199,334.24
$219,343.04
Periodicals
$218,428.17
$209,364.06
$228,037.46
$247,265.76
$256,788.87
Periodicals / Binding
$11,431.00
$9,708.00
$9,184.25
$10,077.34
$10,655.99
Film / Video / Slides / DVD
$1,338.18
$1,162.74
$962.19
$1,004.18
n/a
Electronic Databases
n/a
n/a
n/a
$33,081.46
$41,881.65
Electronic Journals
n/a
$27,568.70
$41,741.04
$53,976.05
$72,827.03
TOTAL
$486,998.03
$499,174.28
$534,174.85
$544,739.03
$601,496.58

 

Library Volumes:
FY1999
FY2000
FY2001
FY2002
FY2003
Books / Standing Orders
201,927
205,705
210,383
209,578
192,395
Periodicals / Binding
20,998
22,051
22,866
23,916
24,941
Microfilm
359,991
370,927
382,885
360,554
356,088
CD-ROM
32
32
32
756
175
Film / Video / Slides / DVD
16,358
16,780
17,285
17,574
17,959
Audio / CD / LP
4,265
4,305
4,361
4,383
5,232
Electronic Databases
0
79
81
89
Electronic Journals
1,298
1,313
7,475
7,362
8,532
Electronic Books
0
6,331
6,331
7,320
TOTAL
604,869
621,113
651,697
630,535
612,731
Figure 4-14

The Library faces a similar issue to that of Information Technology Services: adequate future resources to fund the rising costs of journals, databases, and other technological upgrades.