INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT

This has been an extraordinary year. A considerable amount of time has been spent on budget cutting activities that were not part of our strategic plan. To get the support and understanding for the budget cuts that were required, we used an elaborate process that involved a team of staff and library faculty and the gathering of feedback from the entire staff at selected intervals. Our process was framed by the requirement that all cuts be made with the University’s goals in mind and within the framework of “What do the Libraries and the Center for Creative Photography have to be doing in three to five years to successfully contribute to the University’s goals and what does that mean we have to do now? ” We also kept our values in mind: customer focus, continual improvement, diversity, flexibility, and integrity. Further, we kept our promise to staff that we would maintain the staff’s ability to continually learn (travel, workshops), to have the necessary equipment and supplies to perform their work, and to receive rewards (merit) for their work. In spite of cutting over $800,000, reallocating $300,000, eliminating 22 positions, and holding many positions open to ensure no layoffs were necessary, the University Libraries did achieve a budget plan that met these requirements and allowed us to mak