At the present time, the facilities and, to a lesser extent, the collections are not adequate to support that mission. In particular, the Swem Library building imposes constraints upon the use of technology. Furthermore, it is so seriously overcrowded that parts of the collection must be stored off-campus and space for users still further reduced. Space limitations in the libraries of the graduate and professional schools have also been identified and require attention and support.

The Committee reaffirms the commitment of President Sullivan at his inauguration to create libraries worthy of the overall quality of William and Mary. The Committee also shares the vision of the 1992 Task Force on Library Automation which spoke to the need for "connections as well as collections," and called for the creation of "a seamless electronic environment in which individuals may access a variety of information and knowledge sources in various formats and in a manner that is simple and easy to use, independent of time or place or subject discipline."

As the College develops its post-Campaign funding priorities, the William and Mary libraries must be given an appropriately prominent place on the list. The scope of the needs dictates that the College cannot rely solely on state and federal sources, and that private fund raising must take a more central role. Therefore, as the College contemplates a new fund raising campaign, it should do so with the notion that the renovation and expansion of Swem Library and selected university libraries should be among the central components of such an effort.

Goal:
To build a William and Mary library system that will, to the highest degree possible, support the College's mission to preserve, transmit and extend knowledge.

Strategies:

1. Pursue funding for the critically needed expansion and renovation of Swem Library and the library of the MarshallWythe School of Law. All libraries must provide adequate and appropriate space not only for collections but also for users, staff, and equipment.
2. Install a state-of-the-art automated library system that will offer the broadest array of functions possible today, and also provide for the greatest flexibility for the library and information technologies of the future.
3. Recognize that, while technology may ultimately reduce the rate of growth of print collections, the issue is not one of choosing between print collections and electronic access, but rather of balancing the acquisition of the traditional formats with new electronic resources.