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Thursday, December 12, 2002

Also

In the spirit of posting emails sent to administrators, I post the following which I sent to the Council on Libraries. I recommend checking out their minutes for a closer look at the proposed cuts to Sanborn et al. They are meeting today. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/col/col.html

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I write to address an issue I do not believe has been given attention in the recent debate over library budget cuts. I understand that the Council on Libraries will be meeting today, December 12, and it is my desire that the Council discuss the Sanborn Library Fund.

Attached you will find the relevant excerpts from Edwin Sanborn's will, penned in 1927; the other clauses do not address Sanborn House or Library. In the will, he establishes Sanborn House and Sanborn Library "as a homelife center for those especially interested in English literature and for the convenience of advanced students in that subject, and a place for conference and discussion on such topics." Sanborn Library is obviously the central component of this mandate. The current proposals would destroy Sanborn House's purpose. As the minutes from the Council on Library's October 16th meeting explain, 2,000 of the 4,000 books would be removed, the reserves shifted to Baker-Berry, the librarian positions eliminated, and the hours severely curtailed to "depend on the English department," which would, without a doubt, be much more limited than the present hours of operation. This cannot be what Edwin Sanborn meant by "convenience," nor can it even resemble what he had in mind for Sanborn to "house a library on English and topics related thereto." The operative word here is, of course, "library," not "reading room." While Sanborn Library might remain a reading room, its original purpose as a research and home center, as well as "library," would be entirely negated; the books remaining would even be removed from the card catalogue, and the barren shelves would ruin the library's aesthetic appeal.

Further, there is certainly no lack of money in the Sanborn Library Fund. While I do not doubt the severity of the present budget crisis, Sanborn House is endowed with sufficient money set aside with Sanborn House and Library as the absolute top priority (See attached will). In 1927, the original amount was approximately 1.1 million, but it has since swelled to around 20 million. The trust pays out somewhere around $900,000 annually. This is more than enough to cover all expenses associated with Sanborn--staff included--and then some. Yet, presently, most of this money seems to be going to general collections. This money should instead first be used to bolster Sanborn. There is no need to pare the library's functions, and any cutting would certainly go against Edwin Sanborn's final wishes.

It would also seem that elimination of Sanborn Library would be in direct violation of Edwin Sanborn's word and intent. Diversion of any money set aside for Sanborn House--be it to the general collection or to FO&M--would come under the jurisdiction of the New Hampshire Attorney General's office of charitable trusts as a violation of Edwin Sanborn's will. From my reading, axing the library under the proposed conditions would fall into this category.

I ask that serious attention be given to the Sanborn Library Fund. This trust has plenty of money to not only maintain the building, but also to support the necessary staff for Sanborn Library. These librarians have a level of expertise with the Sanborn collection that cannot be matched by staff in the general collection who are not familiar with the collection, which will be distributed throughout the vast stacks of Baker-Berry. There is no doubt that Edwin Sanborn intended his estate to benefit English students--and the student body as a whole--through Sanborn House and Library. These wishes necessitate Sanborn Library remaining open in its present capacity, not with most resources eliminated or removed to Baker-Berry. The proposed changes would be incredibly detrimental to these ends; they would render his every wish, and even his last will and testament, a moot point.

I hope that all parties involved in this decision, especially President Wright as executor, will have the moral integrity to uphold the word and intentions of the late Edwin Sanborn. Elimination of Sanborn Library would be a disgrace to his honor and an egregious disservice to the estate he so generously donated to Dartmouth College.

Sincerely,
Alston Ramsay

Posted by Alston B. Ramsay at 2:23 AM

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