Expanding "digital services" is just going to end up being more expensive than having books you can keep. They set limits on how long the library "owns" access to the books -- such utter bullshit.

Definitely complain to those in power to change this, but also do some reading on open access journals and books which I'm hoping will take off. Cut out the publishing companies and just share knowledge.

UVM, like the other state colleges, receives taxpayer money. Why are we not talking about the same measures there? Surely they don’t need to be in the NCAA, right?

VSC receives only 13% of its funding from taxpayer money

I’m guessing this will be considered an unpopular opinion but if the school is no longer offering the services you want why not change schools?

No, it's a good point. Many students are transferring, but just as many don't have that option, and their educational success is going to be severely impacted by this move. It's for those students we're fighting this.

We'll look into that, thanks! And yes, it's been pointed out to admins multiple times that maintaining a digital catalogue will be a much more expensive venture than maintaining our physical book collection. They only say it's the "way of the future".

VSU is transitioning to become U Phoenix, Vermont edition. It's sad, but necessary. Both because of local ground truth and the economic downsizing taking place across the country; specially the FAANGS

Can you tell me where you got that statistic? We're trying to amass as much relevant data as we can.

I suspect UVM gets even less, but my point is this: If VSC has to cut back, why doesn’t UVM? Thanks.

This is not THE statistic, but it is a statistic: https://www.uvm.edu/news/story/state-adds-10-million-uvm-appropriation

longtime VSC professor told me

UVM leaving the NCAA would hurt donations. They would never do that.

I think that’s easier said than done for a lot of folks. Aside from UVM these are the only public colleges in the state. Even with how poorly we fund these public colleges, they are still the cheapest/most convenient option for many Vermont residents.

I have yet to see a proposal from either side of the political spectrum that would save VSC from failing. Truth is they need money… a shit load of money. If it wasn’t libraries and sports it would be janitors and cafeteria staff - and people would be just as riled up.

I don’t want to sound rude but I just think there’s larger issues at play here. I’m all for doing whatever it takes to keep the libraries and staff but what will it be next?

Vermont needs to dump millions into the VSU system, to make it competitive with other state’s state-school systems, or else this VSU move was just to watch a bunch of schools slowly die under one flag.

You raise an important point and don't sound rude at all.

Tl;Dr: We know we're broke, we're trying to find alternatives to cutting costs, but the administration refuses to cooperate and says the decision is final.

We are very aware of the financial troubles that lead to this. We also know that the current proposal will not only be far more expensive to institute, but cause a significant drop in enrollment. Many students are already transferring. We know the university needs to cut costs, but the administration's current approach is short-sighted and ill-conceived. We are trying to find alternatives, and to that end have requested the administration be transparent with the data they're basing the decision on. They have thus far refused. The only thing they're willing to share is that VSU has a 25 million dollar deficit, and there is an expectation that the colleges save 5 million a year in costs for five years. But they won't show us the exact numbers indicating the amount of money saved by repurposing the libraries and reducing library staff to a skeleton crew, or how much the exact cost of a digital transition will be compared to maintaining the current physical libraries.

I agree, they say they have to consider how they attract future students (I mean, so much for us current students, but whatever). I won't pretend I know how money moves around at the state levels, but surely prioritizing funding public universities, and making improvements to draw in both local and out-of-state students, not to mention international, should be an obvious economical move? Whereas right now, current students are transferring, future students are looking elsewhere, and communities who benefit from college resources and income are facing serious economic consequences.

Thank you. I wonder what the state's contribution to VSU schools was in comparison?

Exactly so. Some of the people I've spoken to hate everything that's happening but are tied to VSU through financial aid or residency-based scholarships, or just can't afford the extra costs of attending school out of state.

I hope it doesn't come to that. Particularly in a rural state notorious for its limited internet access. (Typing this from a house in the hills, where we only got actually working internet service a couple years ago. Before that, we relied on, y'know, libraries.)

I cannot agree more about how vital Vermont’s state university system is to it’s success and it’s prosperity. Like you said, we are currently seeing the harsh realities of not supporting it, and those consequences could take generations to fix if they collapse due to neglect. Vermont needs to prioritize this, along with affordable housing, if we are ever to see Vermont be what we all know it can be.

I completely understand where you all are coming from. I’m sorry students and staff are put into this position. As a former CCV student I want nothing more than to see VSC succeed. I have to think the lack of transparency is because the outlook behind closed doors is worse than the public knows right now. It’s a hard balance between being transparent and keeping the student applications rolling in.

As a shot in the dark, may I suggest using this “final straw” as a platform to advocate for a massive investment in the VSC endowment…. Like 500m or more. Would bring in steady income to stabilize current campuses and provide some money for future investment.

Pouring political clout into a big (well thought out) investment once seems better than running to tax payers every two years for stopgap funding every time they want to cut back on libraries, janitors, cafeteria staff or staff benefits.

Sadly with Phil Scott in office I don’t think any of it is possible :(

VT and ME are the 2 poorest and least populated States in NE.

Spouse is 20yrs in VSC (now VSU) academic support. It's heartbreaking to see the impact, on students and staff alike, happening in response to hard ground truths. The decline has been long and steady. VT has more 1st gen students than most anywhere in the north; State support for higher ed is paltry. K-12 is facing class shrinkage and higher costs, while depending on federal monies which is increasingly shifting to supporting/vouchering charter and privatized/religious education.

Meanwhile, since 2020 most students have gotten jiggy with the online world. Many/most will admit they don't go to libraries for the books. Newer genZ and beyond will be moreso.

To make matters worse, all the funding that goes into K-12 (including your edu taxes) does little more than make someplace else more literate; considering over 50% leave upon graduation.

And I doubt things will improve until such time as there are more jobs paying livable wages for new grads looking to make a life here; which flies in the face of rural VT being a mostly boring place to grow up or be single in (e.g. why they left in the 1st place). Specially under the mounting pressure of gentrification, high COL, sparse housing and rising wealth inequality.

I don't envy the Chancellors office or their board facing these tough calls, regardless of the politics or finances behind it.

The 'conjoining' of Johnson and Lyndonville into NVU tried to put a band-aid on a bullet wound. The 'new' president resulted in overworked over-commuted faculty and staff and shifted many of the the desirable majors from J to L; despite Lyndonville having a much poorer track record than Johnson.

To me, this is an indicator that the Johnson campus is on the chopping block; mostly by virtue of its campus being too far off the beaten track. That ultimately VSU will be VTC, Castleton and Lyndonville based, but virtualized throughout the State.

RE: internet - maybe starlink will help (but F EL just the same)

u/SaveOurLibrariesVSU is a noble but fruitless cause (IMO)

I love libraries, stacks filled with books, the value of librarians to society writ-large. I loathe what's being perpetuated on them, by ignorance and mean-spirit, in school boards across the nation.

That said, and noting that library closings are unrelated to censorship, they don't serve the purpose they once used to. Yes, the price of digitizing is not cheap; yes, some rarer books will be harder to come by; yes, it's sad to see this sorry decline.

But all the sentiments aren't going to change the reality that most learning can be done in front of a screen or that the printed page is a yesterday phenom. Hopefully, this cuts down the price of 'textbooks' and overall cost of an education as well.

VPR Vermont Edition did a segment on this issue earlier in the week. If you didn’t hear it, check it out. A really good perspective from several professional librarians. A college system without a library! Insane idea.

Plus, most texts aren’t even available in digital editions. The librarians that spoke on Vermont Edition explained this, as well as how expensive it would be to lease digital texts. Publishers don’t let you purchase them, they are leased. And 10x more expensive if purchased by an institution compared to the same text on amazon. I might not be saying it exactly right, but it was a really fascinating show.

Bernie usually has those stats on the top of his head. I worked at what used to be JSC several years ago, and Bernie spoke at a student rally there. He just rattled off the stats.

One alternative. Close Lyndon and Johnson campuses. VSC is incredibly important but saving it will require drastic action. Closing campuses made a lot of sense imo but was very unpopular. There will have to be unpopular decisions made

Yes, leaving the NCAA would hurt both UVM and the other state colleges. So why are they doing it only to the state colleges? That’s my point.

If you have time to dig through it, here’s a ton of info about UVM’s finances: https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Division-of-Finance-Administration/Publications/FY21_Fin_Rpt.pdf

And this: https://www.vsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Vermont-State-College-6-30-22-Financial-Statements-FINAL.pdf

Might find it here: https://www.vsc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Vermont-State-College-6-30-22-Financial-Statements-FINAL.pdf

Please share where you got this information. Many thanks.