Each year brings a budget crisis in which the ability to replace aging and obsolete hardware is unknown. Budgeting for predictable replacement cycles is essential to maintain reliable network services. Staffing and Training Higher levels of technical expertise are required to deliver modern library services. The Library has both an expert central Systems staff and support staff in every branch and department with some level of technical responsibility. The campus and the libraries need to continue to provide professional and staff development opportunities.
Adequate compensation is a crucial element in retaining staff.
The local market for technical skills is active and generally offers better salaries. Recent legislation has both limited fair use rights and extended the duration of copyrights. Pending legislation threatens to expand copyright protections to cover materials never before eligible for copyright, including facts in databases and some government generated data. It is important that the campus have a policy to advise and support the faculty on copyright issues. In 1998 the Libraries convened a task force to study ways to improve access to information by empowering users to serve themselves.