The “New” Library, Thirty Years Along

Continued from Page 20
The Library, however, marches on. The shelves are much fuller, the collection
having grown from 37,000 volumes in 1978 to over 95,000 volumes today.
Most students make a beeline for the computers when they enter, while –
sadly – for many undergraduates the books are merely background decoration.
An average chemistry journal now costs over $3,000 per year, and most likely
is available here only on the Web, not in print. And there are a lot more of
them (the Journal of the American Chemical Society, which we still do get in
print, now costs $4,225; and Tetrahedron Letters, which we no longer receive in
print, runs a sizeable $14,296).
The University of Texas Libraries remain firmly committed to supporting
scientific research and education not only on this campus, but also across the
state and nation through its Inter-Library Loan program. Many other schools
increasingly depend on our strong collections to obtain what can’t be acquired
in their own localities.
Excellence in the library is an important aspect of the recruitment and
retention of top faculty and graduate students, along the same lines of top-
flight research facilities. Ready access to journals and databases is just as
important as access to a state-of-the-art spectrometer: information is a key
part of the infrastructure. And as everyone in the sciences knows all too well,
excellence comes at a cost.
The Library’s development goals are ambitious, but achievable. To ensure a
level of funding for information resources that is up to the task of maintaining
the Mallet Library’s position as one of the largest chemistry libraries in the
country, our endowment funds need to grow substantially in the next few
years. Everyone can help by contributing to the Aubrey Skinner Library Fund
or the James E. and Ruth Ann Boggs Library Endowment, or by establishing
a new named endowment benefiting the library. These are truly perpetual
To make your gift to the Mallet
gifts because materials acquired remain in the collection permanently,
Library please contact:
enhancing the educational experience and the research process for all who will
pass through our doors in the future.
Linda Abbey, Major Gifts Officer
(512) 495-4366
To see what’s going on in the Mallet Library, and explore many details about
the world of chemical information, visit the library’s website at http://www.
Or contribute online:
lib.utexas.edu/chem. We hope to see you virtually or in person soon!
Aubrey E. Skinner Chemistry Library
—David Flaxbart, Mallet Librarian, flaxbart@austin.utexas.edu
Endowment
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/development/
endowments/skinner.html
The James E. and Ruth Ann Boggs
Endowment
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/development/
endowments/boggs.html

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