The University of Oregon administration's recent decision to rescind proposed eliminations of tenured faculty positions and entire academic programs represents a partial acknowledgment of the severe consequences such cuts would impose on the institution's academic mission. 

However, the elimination of four faculty within UO Libraries, as well as three OAs and one vacant classified position in libraries, demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the integral role academic librarians and other library workers play in sustaining the research enterprise and educational infrastructure of a comprehensive research university.

The work of librarians and all libraries staff is integral to the research and educational mission of the University and to learning communities in Oregon and beyond. We work directly with students, faculty, and researchers in classrooms and library spaces throughout the year. UO librarians are currently preparing to host first-year and transfer students – part of the largest incoming class in UO history – for a special event at Knight Library during the Week of Welcome. We have systematically purchased required course materials as eBooks to collectively save students more than $1 million in educational expenses. We catalog collections in a variety of languages to support scholarship across UO campuses.

Beyond the instruction mission, librarians constitute essential intellectual partners in the university's knowledge production and dissemination activities. Current library initiatives demonstrate measurable returns on institutional investment: the systematic acquisition of electronic course materials has generated over $1 million in cost savings for students while ensuring equitable access to required texts. 

Moreover, the recent acquisition of $300,000 in federal grant funding for the digitization of 100,000 historical newspaper pages (1855-1963) exemplifies how librarian expertise directly contributes to expanding scholarly resources while simultaneously securing external funding. Beyond these tangible achievements, the provision of global access to over 500,000 digitized and publicly available primary sources positions the University of Oregon as a significant contributor to international scholarship. 

Pushing through the administration’s remaining fast-track plans (like laying off librarians and other career and research faculty) is not the right way to pursue the University’s mission of serving the state, nation, and world. Instead, as suggested in a letter to President Scholz signed by six Oregon state legislators, we call on the UO administration to explore alternatives to this drastic action which would uphold shared governance and put students first. 

Given these multifaceted contributions, the elimination of librarians constitutes a form of institutional de-skilling with far-reaching consequences. Research productivity, grant competitiveness, and academic reputation will inevitably suffer cascading effects as the loss of specialized expertise translates into concrete deficiencies: fewer grant applications, weakened research support, degraded research skill instruction, and deteriorating collection strength in critical disciplinary areas. Ultimately, these outcomes stand in direct opposition to the administration's stated commitment to institutional excellence and competitiveness.

In summation: our libraries matter, and we need to work together to defend them!

Calls to Action

Talk to your co-workers about how our union has fought (and is continuing to fight) layoffs. If you hear of someone receiving a layoff notice, please encourage them to email info@uauoregon.org as soon as possible. If you and your co-workers experience shifts to your workload due to layoffs, fill out our Workload Survey.