Last Thursday, the ASUCD Senate passed Senate Resolution 16 unanimously, urging the administration and faculty to take necessary steps to curtail Peter J Shields Library’s national ranking decline. Shields library once prided itself as one of the top one-third of research libraries in North America, but within 15 years due to a negligent chancellorship, an incompetent and corrupt university administration, and an irresponsible faculty, Shield’s ranking toppled to an all new low of 64th. What a mighty fall for a campus institution that once epitomized the greatness of UC Davis‘ commitment to scholarship.
The library’s budget woes adversely affect the library’s operational hours, the number of librarians employed to help students and researchers, and limits the materials available to scholars, compromising UC Davis‘ academic quality.
I praise the ASUCD Senate for passing the Senate Resolution 16; yet impel the Senators to not consign the library’s future to a passive statement, but rather pursue this issue to the fullest.
Although this Resolution comes during a tough budget climate, investment in our library is long overdue. Let us restore this vital campus resource to its proper place.
Joemar Clemente
Junior
Political Science Major
