The Closure of 3 Libraries is NOT the Solution

UC Berkeley plans to close three campus libraries in the next two years to save $1 million annually. Many are against the school’s decision and argue that shutting down libraries will come at the cost of research and learning for thousands of students. As the number one public university, UC Berkeley has a large budget, and the university's libraries only account for $42 million of the entire $3.2 billion budget. 

Is it genuinely worth closing down the entities offering students research resources and expanding their education to save $1 million? Putting the research and resources of thousands of students in jeopardy shows where the university's priorities lie. It is not with education. It is not with the students who go there to grow. UC Berkeley needs to reevaluate their funding priorities and consider that having students cramped up in libraries is inhuman, especially coming from a higher education institution that recently passed tuition increases. It is time that UC Berkeley wakes up and makes better choices. Closing down important resource sites is not the answer. 

Ally Markovich

UC Berkeley will close 3 libraries amid shrinking budget

By Ally Markovich, Berkeleyside | 03/03/23