The University of California Libraries: A Plan for Development (1977)

CHAPTER X
HOUSING THE LIBRARY SYSTEM
As noted in Chapter III, the rapid growth of academic libraries
during the last several decades has created severe problems in housing
the ever-increasing collections. Despite what was earlier referred
to as "the greatest flowering of academic library building
experience this country has ever known," the rate of building has not
kept pace with the growth of collections. In one writer's picturesque
phrase, it has been a case of Sisyphus nailing up bookshelves. 1
The problem at the University of California has been no less
acute than nationally. Despite a fall-off in acquisition rates, as
discussed in Chapter VIII, the University continues (and must continue)
to acquire new knowledge as it is published, and accordingly
must find some place to put the additional materials. Problems mentioned
in earlier chapters--such as insufficient funds for books and
staff--are real and serious, but the space problems of the libraries
are rapidly becoming desperate. There have been, after all, some
funds for purchase of additional materials, and some additional staff
positions have also been funded, but no funds for construction of
library facilities have been approved since the early 1970's. Except
for slight additions through remodeling, the amount of library space
has remained almost constant since 1971, as indicated in Figure 3.
The projects at Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and San Diego, which were
approved several years ago, will soon be completed and will add some
additional capacity, but as indicated below these projects will provide
only a temporary palliative at those campuses. The basic
problem of housing increasingly larger collections will remain.
1 Robin Wilson, "Must We Burn Our Books?" The Chronicle of Higher
Education, v. 12, no. 18 (July 12, 1976), p. 24.