ABSTRACT
Substantial staff cuts have been a continual necessity in British university libraries. All the non-specialized libraries have had to make reductions in staff since 1979/80. The SCONUL survey of funding cuts, which includes some smaller, specialized libraries, found that 79% of libraries had reduced their number of academic-related posts between 1979/80 and 1984/85, most commonly by 14 to 29%. Reductions in the number of clerical posts had been made by 75% of libraries, most commonly by 9 to 16%. Other posts, such as bindery and photographic staff, porters and cleaners, had been reduced in 45% of the libraries which had this type of post, most commonly by 14 to 29%. In some cases, the number of clerical and academic-related posts had been cut by one-third. Further cuts were reported for 1985/86, with another 25% of libraries reducing academic-related posts and 30% reducing clerical posts. There have been further reductions since then, and more are planned.
