In further support of the need for this administrative position, on my request shortly after I arrived on campus in July 2017, Associate Provost Jungblut provided me with a list of 15 peer institutions (that comparison group with CWU added accompanies this document). When making comparisons across libraries, it is important to recognize that the majority of our peer institution libraries are single entities on a campus as opposed to the CWU Libraries which are located at three sites, the Brooks Library on the main campus, and the satellites at Lynnwood and Des Moines. In staffing the CWU Libraries rank 10 th . Remove our two off-site staff from the count, the James E. Brooks Library drops to 11 th . Staffing comparisons indicate several libraries ranked above CWU are open fewer hours with more full-time staff. Five of the libraries ranked above us have a larger staff serving fewer students. Most tellingly, all of the libraries ranked above us have a full-time Associate Dean or Director. Only four of the institutions, all at institutions with smaller enrollments than CWU, have no Associate Dean or Director. In the end, the conversion of the current 0.5 FTE Associate Dean to full-time status results in a net gain of 1.0 (one) FTE to current library staffing and that addition allows for more efficacious operation of the library. 2. The Budget Allocation committee requested information concerning the Library’s request for funds for a single conversion to digital format of our serial holdings rather than a five-year conversion plan. A number of issues are driving the request for a single year of funding for the conversion of hard- bound back-files of journals to digital back-files. First and foremost, the request is driven by the change in how journals are currently indexed and what student and faculty populations, including ours, expect when searching for a journal article (Zambare et al., 2009; Dietsch, Heet & Thibodeau, 2015). Journals are now all electronically indexed with an identification number that takes you to the article. If the library holds that journal electronically, the student can use that number to easily access the article, and if desired download it at no cost. If it is not held electronically, the student must come to the library to access the journal. Many students will not do so. This is particularly true for students in on-line and remote-site programs. This impacts retention. The alternative for students unwilling or incapable of coming to the library would be for the student to access a digital version of the journal at another Orbis Cascade Alliance university and pay the Copyright Clearinghouse fee, or come to the library to order an interlibrary loan copy which is free to students.
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