Parks Library may be $1.25 million richer next year because of a proposed new library fee.

A possible library fee of $25 may be implemented in the upcoming year, said Library Dean Olivia Madison, adding that Iowa State’s library is starting to lose ground compared to other institutions.

“We are starting to fall behind our peer institutions as a library,” she said.

The Association of Research Libraries, of which Iowa State is a member, ranks member libraries every year based on number of volumes, number of volumes increased, number of serial (journal) subscriptions, total expenditures and the total number of staff. Iowa State has fallen nine spots from 2004-2005, Madison said.

“The fact that we dropped nine ranking points in one year, it’s very, very troubling, and what that’s showing to me is that we’re starting to slip,” she said.

If the fee is implemented, a committee of students and staff would help decide how to use the money, Madison said. The committee being considered would include an even number of students and faculty or staff members.

“We’re probably looking at a representative from each college, would be my guess,” she said.

Madison said discussions with student representatives on the current library committee, as well as students with the Government of the Student Body and the Graduate and Professional Student Senate would help determine the committee membership.

“The major focus is making sure that we have the right student representation,” she said. “That committee will be key on making decisions on how we spend the dollars.”

GSB Vice Speaker Jeffrey Rothblum, senior in aerospace engineering and GSB representative on the university library committee, said because students will make up half of the committee, their voices will be heard.

Possible suggestions for what the new fee could pay for include textbooks on reserve, increasing copyright charges for e-reserves, multi-media group studios and new e-Library features such as online renewals.

In 2006, eight schools in the Big 12 had already implemented library fees, Madison said. Some library fees are hidden in computer fees at other schools, she said.

The library received $227,997 in 2006 in student computer fee income, Madison said. The expenditures vary each year depending on what is purchased and when it is purchased.

There is also an internal Library Student Computer Fee Committee, which includes two students and two library faculty members.

“There’s been a whole lot of research done in terms of comparison to other universities,” Rothblum said.

Rothblum said there has also been an effort to find out what student opinion is on the possible fee. A survey will be sent out to randomly selected students and open forums will be held in order to capture student opinion.

He said the possible fee is important to keep the value of the library at a high level.

“If this fee is not passed, the library will not close down, but the quality of the library would go down, noticeably,” he said.

Graduate student in food science and human nutrition-agriculture, and GPSS representative on the university library committee John Schmitz Jr. said the fee is being proposed because there is a greater inflation rate for materials in the library than regular inflation.

If this fee is not implemented, Schmitz said the students would suffer. Things like decrease in staff availability and in future journal and book purchases would occur.

“I think it would be a sad thing for the students,” he said.

When talking to his constituents, Rothblum said for the most part, students are not opposed to the fee.

“People have generally been in support of it once they kind of realize what’s going on,” he said.

Rothblum said he “feels good” about letting a committee decide where the money will go because of how much he has been listened to.

The different levels of Schmitz’s constituents have been positive he said. He has talked to graduate students, who are in support of the fee.

“The people I’ve talked to in-depth realize that there’s an increasing need for things,” he said.

Schmitz said he has also been present at many student council meetings, where the response has been positive.