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

XII. Summary 197
the required expertise, so that insofar as possible no reference question
goes unanswered.
Acquisition and Processing of Materials (pages 113-135). New library
materials must continue to be acquired if the principal objective—provision
of needed material within the needed time span--is to be met, and
at present the funds available for this purpose are about 14 percent below
what is needed. Actual volumes added to the collection have declined
steadily, with the result that the University is now acquiring only about
as many volumes per year as in 1963/64; since that time, however, the
student body has increased 77 percent and the faculty 80 percent. Published
information has also continued to grow.
To cope with this problem in a systematic way, and to relate library
planning more closely to academic planning, an acquisitions formula is
proposed that is based largely on academic programs, with additional
factors that take into account the number of students at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels, and the amount of sponsored research on
each campus. The formula indicates a requirement for purchase of 609,000
volumes per year, as contrasted with the present budget level of 523,000
volumes. The plan recommends funding at the higher level, with further
increases only if there is significant growth in programs or enrollment.
The cost of actually acquiring and processing the materials purchased
has been rising steadily because of the labor-intensive nature of
the work involved, but on-line computer systems are now available that
reduce the rate of rise in such costs substantially. They also make the
process much faster, and help promote standardization. Several of the
University libraries are already experimenting with such systems, and
the plan recommends that they be installed on all campuses.
Staffing the Library System (pages 137-145). If the automated
systems are installed, the plan anticipates that savings in staff can
be made in the acquisitions/processing area. These savings will be
needed to meet expected increases in service demands, to provide staff
for improved inter-campus and on-campus delivery of materials, and to
fund needed courses in library use. If enrollment increases, more
staff will also be needed to handle the increased demands from additional
students. The plan therefore recommends no increase in the
acquisitions/processing area, and increases in the reference/circulation