ANNUAL REPORT 

OF THE 

SENATE LIBRARY COMMITTEE 

The Committee has met three times since it last reported: on July 15, 

March 31, and June 16, 

No meeting took place in the Fall 

semester because of difficulties in getting a quorum. Atthe meeting of 

January 15, Charles Hamilton was elected to succeed Phillip Stigger 

who had served as Chairman for four years. 

A number of matters of interest to Senate were considered over the year. 

I will summarize them below. 

The Library Loans Policy has been before the Committee for some time. 

The intent was not so much to make major changes to the policy originally 

adopted but to have it reflect changes in the Library structure and revise 

certain minor procedures. e.g., processing charges for a lost book went 

from $5.00 to $10.00. As accepted, the statement presents a broad policy 

with a more detailed outline of procedures. 

The form used by the Library in assessing its ability to support new 

courses and programmes was accepted. The exact use of this form and 

assurance that extra money found necessary will be forthcoming are both 

still problematical. 

While the budget received from the University Administration was an 

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improvement on last year's, the Library finds itself in the same straitened 

circumstances as the rest of the University. This year for the first time 

since 1965 it was necessary to cut back on the Serials Renewal Budget. 

The attack on the value of the Canadian dollar by devaluation and inflation, 

combined with the seemingly inexorable rise in the price of books and 

periodicals, presents a picture of continuing gloom. 

As part of a University overview, the Library was instructed to provide 

theAcadem1c VicePresidentw1th a téãi-i-ó]ecfibn. This has taken the 

form of divisionally prepared statements summarized and given direction by 

the University Librarian. Specific planning over such a period with the 

current financial uncertainty is of course impossible; but what can safely 

be predicted is greater use of technology, greater dependence on off-site 

support and the impact of changing formats. 

Of continuing concern to the Library is the problem of providing service for 

additional academic programmes and units, service of such quality that neither 

the Library nor the University will be embarrassed. Special attention has been 

given to the burgeoning programme in Fine Arts and to the Downtown Site. 

For the Fine Arts programme we secured the services of a Library consultant 

to report on our short fall from adequate service with the charge to make 

rast- acts. 

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has been completed and is now under review. For the Downtown Site we have 

presented proposals to the Administration which will permit an approach to 

Library service that will relate to the growth and development of its programme. 

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Two internal Library problems are at stages of solution. First there has 

been over the last couple of years a growth in the backlog - that is books 

which are clogged in the Cataloguing Unit. Simply put, this means material is 

bought but then remains in processing for over a year. With the departure 

of the Division Head of this area the University Librarian has temporarily 

taken charge of this work and with full cooperation from the staff the 

problem appears to be well on the road to solution. The second problem is 

caused by the continued addition of new material to a finite space which 

of course results in over-crowding. To relieve this problem material having 

low use but which nevertheless relates to the research needs of the University 

has been removed to compact storage on the first floor. This material is 

listed on the circulation list and available to all. 

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The only continuing 

matter of concern here is the need for more space to be opened on the 

first floor. 