Library support staff play a vital role in our academic community at UC San Diego. They are often the first point of contact for students seeking resources, research help, and academic support. Their knowledge, commitment, and accessibility are essential to student and faculty success, equity in access to information for all, and the daily operations of our campus library. These essential employees include Library Assistants, Blank Assistants, Facility Management Specialists, Library Professionals, Administrative Officers, and Financial Analysts.

We are deeply concerned about the proposed budget cuts and layoffs proposed for Library staff. These cuts not only put dedicated staff at risk but also jeopardize the quality of support available to our students and faculty, especially those who rely most on library resources. While we realize the university is facing budget cuts, the University has many financial streams, a sizeable reserve account and administrative management bloat--reducing staff at the library is the wrong move.

Staffing has already been reduced through a hiring freeze and a previous push for long-term workers to retire. Just a few years ago, four subject-specific libraries were closed, and jobs were reorganized, and now the university is proposing another round of changes. Services have declined in both quantity and quality compared to previous years. Even as the university aims to house more students on campus than any other in the country, the University recently cut overnight library hours.

A world-class university deserves a world-class library, and so do the students.

We, the undersigned, demand that leadership stop these imminent layoffs and work collaboratively with campus stakeholders to explore alternatives—because these vital services cannot be maintained without the staff who provide them.