Stanford University Libraries cutbacks

"Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources, the academic unit that oversees more than a dozen libraries, and the Stanford Center for Professional Development in the School of Engineering have announced 2010 budget cutbacks. University Libraries announced Wednesday that it has laid off 32 employees. It also offered nine other staff members the option of being laid off and receiving severance benefits instead of staying in revamped positions at reduced pay or reduced hours. The unit also announced plans to permanently close the Physics Library in the summer of 2010 and transfer its holdings to other locations, including the Engineering Library in the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center—currently under construction—and the Stanford Auxiliary Library in Livermore. Most of the affected employees were laid off Wednesday and will be eligible for the university's enhanced severance package, which expires June 30."