Browsing Room closes after more than 62 years of service

Browsing Room closes after more than 62 years of service By Sharita Forrest, Assistant Editor (217) 244-1072; slforres@illinois.edu Since its opening on Feb. 8, 1941, the Browsing Room, a branch of the University Library inside the Illini Union, has weathered a world war in addition to ideological and economic conflicts that occurred closer to the UI Quad. The Browsing Room ceased operations June 13, a cost-saving measure implemented by the University Library in preparation for the leaner budget it faces during the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. The full-time librarian who worked in the Browsing Room has been reassigned to the undergraduate library. For more than 62 years, the Browsing Room offered a quiet retreat for procrastinating students to cram in some desperate, last-minute studying and for leisure readers to peruse a limited selection of books, popular magazines and newspapers. The Browsing Room contained about 4,000 volumes, about one-third of which were checked out at any given time, and was dubbed “our own little public library” by some of its devoted patrons, said Bob Berger, associate university librarian for services. During the room’s 50th anniversary year in 1991, patrons successfully fought to keep the Browsing Room open after the University Library proposed its closure as part of a package of cost-cutting measures. The proposed closure incited a flurry of protest letters from users and appeals from student government that persuaded university administration to preserve the Browsing Room. During FY02 and FY03, the library was shielded from the rescissions and cutbacks that plagued other campus units, except for approximately $450,000 of its FY03 allocation being given in the form of nonrecurring funds, Burger said. “The campus has certainly been very good from our point of view and certainly from that of our users in trying to protect the library as much as possible from the effects of these budgetary problems,” Berger said. “But now with these budgetary exigencies, we really had no choice because (its closure) would have less direct effect on curriculum, instruction and research than any of the departmental libraries.” The library will save approximately $65,000 to $70,000 next year from closing the Browsing Room and expects to implement several other cost-cutting plans as well. The library plans to reduce evening and weekend hours at the smaller departmental libraries around campus so that the hours of operation in the larger libraries – for example, the undergraduate library, Grainger Engineering Library and the education library – can remain unchanged. The shorter hours at the smaller facilities will enable the library to cut back on student wages, and some graduate student positions may be reduced from 50 percent to 38 percent appointments as well. In addition, 24 civil-service positions that were left unfilled during FY03 probably will be eliminated, Berger said. Those positions represent about 10 percent of the library’s civil-service staff. Patrons may also see fewer materials in the library next year too. A $300,000 reduction in the library’s materials budget may force library administration to direct some of those funds toward providing support services instead of purchasing new items. In addition, inflation and price increases by publishers may cause the library to cancel some serials and buy fewer monographs.

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