The Kennesaw State library system is experiencing problems with low budgets that limit resources despite efforts from staff to remedy underfunding, according to staff members.
Assistant Vice President and Dean of Library Services David Evans has previously done research that compared the funding of KSU’s library system and the library systems of other universities. The research showed a lower funding rate of “a dollar per student” at KSU, Digital Scholarship Supervisor Aajay Murphy said.
The library system only has two fees — a $35 fine for losing books and a maximum $35 fee for overdue items — according to the library system website.
Other university programs, such as student athletics and wellness, consistently receive funding through student fees charged at the beginning of each semester, according to the Fiscal Services Fiscal Year 2020 Mandatory Student Fees Presentation.
Due to the stagnating budget, the library system changes what resources are available to students, faculty and staff, Murphy said.
“Compared to other R2 institutions, there are things that [the library system] would love to be able to do and give to our students that [the library system] cannot,” Murphy said. “A lot of that has to do with space, a lot of that has to do with technologies, and we have ideas of the grand vision that we hope we would be able to execute as an R2 institution, but we don’t have the funding for it.”
Because faculty and staff spend more time at KSU than students — potentially decades compared to students’ four to eight years attending the university — changes such as the loss of resources are noticed more by staff than by students, Murphy said.
One such example involves the loss of access to the academic journal publishing company Elsevier, which was pointed out by faculty rather than students who did not know the resource had previously been available, Murphy said.
“We haven’t had such a budget cut that [the library system has not] been able to deliver what [the library system] is already delivering,” Murphy said. “It’s not like we’re moving backward, we’re moving forward as much as we can.”
Despite budgeting issues, the library system provides students with resources they need at KSU and works to get resources for students if they are not already present within the library, Murphy said.
Library staff also does not experience burnout on a level higher than that of any other career, despite the budget issues, Murphy said.
“Some of my colleagues have done burnout research, looking at librarian burnout across the nation in general,” Murphy said. “The preliminary results of that study have said that we are not special in any way, because library burnout across the nation is a real, tangible thing.”
While changing administrations at KSU results in staff changes, the library system has increased staff since 2014, Murphy said.
