A library without books? Hilarious

Can we get a few more books? (Photo by Bryn Karcha)

Dear President Florizone,

I laughed pretty hard at the funny joke Dalhousie made about cutting library acquisitions for one, possibly two years. HA! HA! A library that can’t afford new books? (Wheeze) That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!

Then I found out you weren’t kidding. And stopped laughing.

I’m not sure how many business degrees I would have to take for this to make sense, but as an English and philosophy student, cutting library acquisitions is totally ludicrous. How are professors supposed to do their research without access to updated scholarship? How are students supposed to write papers that aren’t complete shit without that resource? As I’m sure you know, a lot can happen scholarship-wise in one year. Dal is not competitive as a learning institution if we can’t keep up.

I know capital projects and library funding probably come from two very different streams of budgeting. But frankly, Florizone, I don’t give a damn—I’m going to make this point anyways. Why are we putting $13 million into renovations to the SUB, when we can’t afford books? Why did we invest in whatever new mutation the LSC has sprouted, when journals are being chopped as haphazardly as heads in the French Revolution? While the money for building may come from a different budget, these projects prove that the money is there. Rather than invest in the basic reason why we’re all here—education—Dal is prioritizing concrete, glass and expansion.

Our basic mission as a university is for professors to do their research, students to learn about it, and the community to benefit from it. Bring the books back, Florizone. Our mission isn’t accomplished yet.

Sincerely,

Samantha Elmsley