The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Library is undergoing a period of significant transformation, driven by the realities of a challenging fiscal environment and guided by our enduring commitment to excellence in research, education, and service.
As shared in Chancellor communications and town halls, UCSF is implementing a 5% permanent reduction in core funding across the institution. In addition to this campus-wide adjustment, the library is addressing a substantial funding gap that necessitates a total 15.3% reduction in core expenses.
These changes are essential to ensure long-term sustainability while continuing to support our mission. We recognize the difficulty of these reductions and the meaningful impact they will have on our staff and community. Yet, through thoughtful planning and principled decision-making, we are not only adapting, we are evolving.
Transforming services to meet emerging needs
As part of our commitment to innovation and sustainability, the UCSF Library is implementing several strategic changes that will enhance user experience, strengthen research support, and ensure long-term resilience:
Streamlined access to resources
In response to workforce reductions and eliminating vacant positions, we have merged two critical units, Access Services and Collection Management, which play vital roles in connecting our community to the resources they need, through physical spaces, digital collections, or Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This newly united team will provide seamless access to materials, support user navigation of library services, and manage the day-to-day operations that make our spaces welcoming and functional.
This integration allows us to streamline workflows and improve service delivery. As part of this shift, we are reducing service desk hours while exploring expanded self-service options, such as book pick-up lockers at Parnassus Heights and Mission Bay, and 24/7 access to the Kalmanovitz Library’s main floor. These updates are designed to offer greater flexibility and convenience for our diverse community, while optimizing staffing resources.
Resource curation for impact
To better align with the evolving needs of researchers and educators, we have integrated our collection development strategy with our education and research librarians who guide users in information discovery and management. This unification allows us to continue curating resources that reflect emerging scholarly trends, digital research methods, and cutting-edge academic tools that meet the needs of UCSF’s educators, learners, and staff.
Expanding efforts in development and fundraising
To support the UCSF Library’s long-term financial sustainability, we are expanding our efforts in development and fundraising under the leadership of Polina Ilieva, associate university librarian for archives and special collections and development, and UCSF archivist. This work will leverage internal expertise in securing external funding, cultivating donor partnerships, and identifying new opportunities for strategic growth. These efforts are essential as we navigate financial challenges and continue to invest in the future of our services, collections, and community impact.
Purposeful collections strategy
The collections budget, which funds journal subscriptions, books, and databases, has been reduced by 15%, with additional strain from rising costs associated with institutional growth and expansion. This fiscal year, we are mitigating the impact through:
- One-time funding support from UCSF Health
- Canceling low-use and high-cost resources
- Delaying non-essential subscriptions
- Limiting book purchases
- Leveraging University of California-wide partnerships through the California Digital Library
More information about our subscription review process, criteria for implementing reductions, and the list of proposed journal and database cancellations for 2026 is available on our Journals webpage.
UCSF faculty, staff, and learners are invited to contact Sarah McClung, head of collection development, with questions or comments about proposed cancellations by Friday, October 17, 2025.
Instructional design services update
As part of our budget response, we made the difficult decision to discontinue our instructional design services. This change reflects the seriousness of our financial reality and was made only after exhausting all other strategies to reduce core operational costs. While we are no longer offering direct instructional design support to faculty and staff in the schools and the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, we continue to provide asynchronous instructional materials and are partnering with the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and UCSF schools to ensure continuity where possible.
Looking ahead
This moment is about resilience. It is about reimagining how we serve UCSF and steward our resources with integrity. UCSF Library staff are the backbone of our services, and we deeply respect their commitment to a new model for the library services of the future. We thank our community for its strength, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the UCSF Library’s mission. Together, we will shape a future that reflects our values and meets the needs of UCSF, today and tomorrow.