Why does a research university need a first-rate library?
Poor libraries cripple high-quality research and teaching.
Research libraries are the repositories of
knowledge accumulated over the centuries. Libraries allow scholars,
students, and citizens to obtain information - both new and old - speedily
and efficiently. Thus, libraries allow us to learn from and build upon
the wisdom of past generations.
Is the Texas A&M library adequate?
While the library is making headway, its resources lag behind those of
its peers at other large research universities. The current University
administration has committed millions of new dollars to the library
budget. However, books and journals are expensive, and great collections of
breadth and depth are built only by sustained commitment over decades.
Further, the rapid advance of electronic storage of information is
forcing a radical change in the structure and operation of libraries.
These changes are also expensive. A lasting commitment to library
excellence is required, and we continue to seek more money for its
growth and development.
What purposes are served by the many institutes and centers at the
University?
Institutes and centers provide a
framework to support the educational, research, and service
missions of the University. Such a framework makes it easier for
faculty members to collaborate,
to share valuable equipment and resources, and to join together to
obtain external funding from private and federal agencies.
How are institutes and centers supported?
Most receive
some base-line support from the State of Texas through the University
budget. Typically, this is a small fraction of their total budgets.
The State support is often used as a matching
contribution to obtain external grant and contract funds which
provide the bulk of the institute and center financing. Thus the
State money is particularly valuable in leveraging such external
funds.
In some cases, centers exist to provide important support services to
a broad range of University programs. The external
support which this helps generate may not flow directly to the
center, but rather to other areas of the campus. Some cost recovery
for the centers is often obtained from fees levied by the centers
for the services provided.