Nash Library to begin charging for printing on July 1, 2009

After careful consideration, Nash Library will begin charging all library users ten cents per page for printing effective July 1, 2009. This decision results from USAO’s flat budget, escalating mandatory costs, and no increase in tuition and fees. As we mentioned in an earlier e-mail, the Nash Library operating budget was decreased by $50,000 for the upcoming fiscal year.

Like many other libraries that are beginning to charge for printing, we also hope to reduce waste. We estimate that approximately 20% of all printed pages were never picked up in fiscal year 2008-2009.

Charging for printing has long been a standard practice at most libraries in the United States. The average cost for printing at other libraries is between five and ten cents per page. Because the Nash Library printer is set to print on both sides of the page, you are in effect paying five cents per page. If you choose to print on only one side of the page, then obviously your cost is still ten cents per page.

We encourage you to use the print preview function before printing to select only those pages you deem necessary to print. In many databases, a copyright page is added to each article. Not printing this page will save money.

Library users will continue to retrieve printouts from whomever is staffing the Circulation Desk at Nash Library; payment must be made before your printout will be given to you.