Budget Planning Outlook: January Update

January 14, 2020

The Libraries continues to be cautiously optimistic about Governor Inslee’s 2021 Supplemental Operating and 2021-23 Operating & Capital Budget Proposals, see OPB Brief. Therefore, we currently do not anticipate additional fiscal year 2020-2021 budget reductions to the Libraries at this time. The 2021 Legislative Session will begin on January 11, 2021, and will end on or before April 25, 2021, with the option of one or more 30-day special sessions. A subsequent budget contraction exercise will depend on the outcomes of this budget process.

At the same time, we are pursuing the possibility of a flat or decreased budget for collections on the Seattle Campus for next fiscal year 2021-2022. The Libraries met with the Faculty Council on University Libraries (FCUL) on January 13th to discuss ways the Libraries can help engage in substantive and collaborative discussions. Libraries Principles for Subscription Review and Subscription Review Timeline 2021 have been posted to provide greater transparency and clarity about our intentions and creates an initial framework for decision-making. Lists of proposed cancellations and a feedback form will be posted in early April 2021. As new information is developed, it will be posted to the Subscription Review web page.

If you have specific questions about this process, we encourage you to reach out to FCUL voting faculty, or your Libraries Subject Librarian.

Denise Pan

Associate Dean of University Libraries for Collections and Content