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The University of Texas at Austin will not move tens of thousands more items out of the Fine Arts Library to repurpose the fifth-floor stack space, it announced Friday. Doug Dempster, dean of fine arts, proposed the relocation of the library’s remaining books, music and other items last semester, saying that circulation was down and the space might be put to better use. The library’s fourth floor, for example, now houses classrooms and media spaces. But many faculty members opposed the idea, saying that it was unconscionable to further dismantle a regionally noted collection.
Dempster asked a committee to study the issue. After considering the report, released last week, Dempster and others recommended keeping the Fine Arts Library collection on the fifth floor and renovating the space to improve internet service, shelving capacity and overall access. They also suggested improving average retrieval times for materials from remote locations and creating a faculty and student advisory council to promote “transparent communication” with administrators on library matters. Maurie McInnis, university provost, has accepted those recommendations.
