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CILIP offers alternatives to 'damaging' library staff cuts at Bangor

Current University of Wales proposals would harm learning and research, =
leading body for information professionals says =20

CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals =
has offered the services of its extensive network of academic library =
and information service managers to suggest alternative and less =
damaging ways of achieving the =A3300,000 year-on-year library savings =
required by the University of Wales, Bangor.

In a letter to the University's Vice Chancellor, Professor Merfyn Jones, =
CILIP's Chief Executive Bob McKee acknowledges the need for financial =
stability at the University, and accepts that the library service needs =
to be part of an overall institutional rationalisation of spending. =
"However," Dr McKee continues, "We do feel that the current proposals =
are counter-productive and will have a harmful effect on both learning =
and research at Bangor."

The restructuring consultation paper states that the University's =
Executive wants to 'ensure that the library embraces a modern, high =
quality and effective mode of service delivery'. However, CILIP =
maintains that the proposal fails to recognise the breadth of the role =
of a modern university librarian.=20

"Librarians make a core contribution to learning, teaching and =
research," Dr McKee points out. "They are responsible for supplying the =
learning and information resource and service needs of their users. They =
manage and operate a major educational facility and the systems =
established to exploit it."

CILIP's view is that the proposed changes to the library staffing =
structure at Bangor would:

* Seriously impair the learning experience of students
* Significantly affect the success of those engaged in research activity
* Damage the national and international reputation of the University as =
an innovator, particularly in terms of partnership arrangements such as =
the Linc y Gogledd interlending scheme

CILIP would be very happy to work with the University in finding =
alternative solutions to the ones currently proposed, the letter =
concludes.

This is by no means the only occasion on which CILIP has offered its =
expert advice to mitigate the effects of cuts.  "The proposed staff cuts =
at Bangor have attracted a great deal of media and public attention but, =
regrettably, we're dealing with less well publicised cases of this kind =
on an almost daily basis," says CILIP's Senior Adviser Kathy Ennis.  =
"It's not an aspect of our work that receives a great deal of publicity, =
because many of the cases we handle are confidential. Rather than =
campaigning stridently, it's often more appropriate to achieve a =
solution by working constructively with the parties involved."

Contact: Tim Buckley Owen, Head of Membership, Marketing & Media.
Tel: 020 7255 0652
Email: [log in to unmask] =
<[log in to unmask]">Mailto:[log in to unmask]>

Debbi Boden
Faculty Team Leader (Life Sciences)
Central Library
Imperial College London
South Kensington Campus
London SW7 2AZ

Tel: 020 759 48619