The interim president of the Vermont State University has reversed a plan by the system’s previous president to create digital libraries, cut staff and remove physical books at its four campuses.
The plan was announced in early February as part of cost cutting as the Vermont State College transitions into the Vermont State University on July 1st. It was met with immediate opposition.
On April 14th, less than a year after being named president of the new system, Dr. Parwinder Grewal resigned. Trustees named Mike Smith interim president.
On Monday Smith announced to the Vermont State University Board of Trustees he is reversing Grewal’s plans to cut back libraries and athletics.
“I’m going to recommend keep athletics as is for the next three years and to develop performance metrics to gauge success in those areas. The second issue I want to talk about: libraries are for books. Number 1: withdrawing the RIF (Reductions in Force) notices. Number 2: continuing the process, which is normal library process, of streamlining the collection. Now a lot of work has been done in that regard. A lot more has to be done. Work with the various unions of how we accomplish that and then move on towards transformation.”
The Vermont State Employees Association was critical of original plan. President Aimee Towne says Smith’s move is crucial as she recalls a Vermont State College librarian who faced the loss of her job under the original plan.
“One of our members has worked in the library for 40 years and while she spoke to our members regarding the proposal she was emotional and didn’t speak to losing her job per se. She was more concerned for the students and how the libraries are the campus centers for so many of these students and how just disappointing the proposal was. I think our members have taken just like a sigh of relief but there’s still so many things that potentially could happen that it’s hard to celebrate when there are so many unknowns.”
Rutland Republican state Senator Brian Collamore had introduced a bill that would prohibit the system from closing or reducing the operations of libraries or reducing the number of employees on any of the campuses without legislative approval. He is heartened by Smith’s announcement to halt the plan.
“The bill is still technically a live bill. The Senate Education Committee did take what I consider some substantial testimony. I don’t know that we need to do too much more with it. I trust that President Smith will come up with his plan to go forward. But he’s made it clear that he feels that a library does mean physical books as well. So I think there’ll be some sort of combination of physical books in the library and then the digital service as well. And all-in-all very heartened by it. I applaud the decision.”
Smith told the Board of Trustees the revised library policy would be implemented quickly.
