15th
From the FB Group
” In the proposed budget cut of $30 million for Smith College, one of the cost-saving measures on the docket is to consolidate Josten Library of the Performing Arts (Dance, Music, and Theater) into the larger Neilson Library.
We believe that Josten Library is an integral part of fulfilling the tradition of academic excellence for which Smith is renowned. While we acknowledge that the collection will still exist under the current plan of consolidating the Neilson/Josten collections, we protest the loss of both the irreplaceable staff and facility which help to maintain and house the collection. The Josten staff go above and beyond their job descriptions in helping both students and faculty.
The suggestion for consolidating Josten Library was made, not according to the circulation statistics (which were comparable to those of the other branch libraries in the Arts and Sciences), but according to a ratio of library faculty to majors in the performing arts departments Josten serves. This, of course, does not include students of other majors who use the library. People involved in engineering, the natural sciences, American Studies, history, and foreign languages all use Josten for academic purposes.
If you agree with the statements above, we strongly encourage you to attend either the faculty (Wednesday, April 15 at 2PM in Sage Hall) or the student (Wednesday, April 15 at 4:30PM in Weinstein Auditorium) budget forums this week and raise your concerns.
Additionally, if you would like to send a letter to either President Carol Christ or any number of the Board of Trustees:
(http://www.smith.edu/trustees/Biographies.html), that would also help the cause.”
