UMass Boston professors upset by cut in funding for library - The Boston Globe

"Every year, UMass Boston professor Leonard von Morzé motivates students in his early African-American literature course with an exercise he calls the “great American novel pitchfest,” when they scour a library database of old newspapers and other periodicals for literary gems by black authors that might make a good book.

But this year, von Morzé has scrapped the pitchfest. The database, which contains thousands of primary source materials, is one of 26 canceled as part of the university’s effort to cut expenses as Healey Library struggles with a 20 percent loss in funding, or $700,000.

The library is also freezing all purchases of print and electronic media until further notice. The university has reserved $4,000 to purchase a limited number of books requested by faculty for spring 2017 courses. The databases that were cut were used primarily by humanities departments.

The cuts, announced Dec. 14, have infuriated von Morzé and other professors and left them scrambling to change their lesson plans over the holiday break. They said the reductions came as a surprise, with no chance for them to offer input."