Vermont State University's "All-Digital" Library Plan Sparks Controversy: Tradition vs. Transformation

In the classic picture of a university campus, the library often holds a central place—shelves lined with dusty old books, volumes on carts, or reading materials spread across desks form indispensable elements of a nostalgic scene. However, as higher education services increasingly move online, more and more library resources and experiences are migrating to digital formats.

Now, Vermont State University, a new institution formed by the merger of three public colleges in Vermont, has announced it will transform its libraries to be "all digital." Although physical spaces will still serve students, the university says it will no longer purchase print materials for students without documented special needs. The university will retain a core collection of print books that are high-use or required for courses and unavailable in digital form, but it will not keep most of its print collection.

Some librarians say this decision is not entirely new in the university library world; but other university librarians and students criticize it as going far beyond the practices of other digitally inclined institutions. As library digitization accelerates, discussions about the boundary between embracing technology and discarding physical collections will also continue to heat up.

"A very progressive decision"

Maurice Ouimet, vice president of enrollment at Vermont State University, said the decision is the best option for the institution. "It's a bold decision, very progressive, and I think in the near future, many other institutions will follow suit," he said. "I truly believe this is the direction of the future." Ouimet believes the university will be the first among its peers to embrace digital resources so comprehensively.

After Vermont State University is established through the merger in July, more students will still attend in person rather than online. But Ouimet said online enrollment is growing. Additionally, the number of physical books that library staff reshelve has been steadily declining, which likely indicates students' decreasing reliance on books.

The transition may also save money. Ouimet noted that maintaining the physical collection currently accounts for about 30% of the library's operating budget. However, the cost of the digital transition has not yet been determined.

"Could truly weaken the experience"

Despite the lofty language, the announcement sparked an uproar. "I haven't seen such a strong reaction from the community across the entire system to something like this in a long time. It has transcended campus boundaries," Ouimet said, "because of the scale and magnitude of the change." It not only involves changes in how students access materials but also led to the elimination of some library positions.

Three days after the announcement, President Parwinder Grewal apologized to students, faculty, and staff, emphasizing that no physical libraries or campuses would be closed. "We must make strategic decisions. Sometimes these decisions may mean a change in one area that feels like a loss, in order to invest in another. While investing, we face a budget deficit of $22.6 million this year," Grewal wrote. "I support these decisions—but these decisions are not the end of the story; they are the beginning."

However, this message did not quell the concerns of all. For some, it raised more questions. "This could truly weaken the experience of students and faculty at the institution," said Erin Ellis, president of the Association of College and Research Libraries and associate dean for research and learning services at Indiana University. "Digital collections are designed to complement print, because not everything is available digitally," Ellis said. "Not everything has been digitized, and not everything will be digitized."

Faculty from the three merging institutions voted no confidence in their governing board in February. That same month, students from these colleges took their concerns to the state legislature, holding signs emphasizing the importance of physical books to the learning experience. The Vermont Library Association and the Vermont School Library Association both issued statements opposing the plan. Local media also published several opinion pieces against the decision.

Critics generally acknowledge that digital collections are important, but they argue Vermont State University's decision is ill-considered and could negatively affect students. Some raise equity concerns: not all students in rural Vermont have access to high-quality internet. Texts unlikely to be digitized often come from authors in groups underrepresented in academia. Some say that if the university abandons collections it previously shared with others through interlibrary loan, the surrounding non-university community could also suffer. Students may lose the serendipity of discovering new materials while browsing shelves, as well as the comfort of reading away from screens.

"This is very concerning," said Margaret Woodruff, chair of the Government and Advocacy Committee of the Vermont Library Association. "The issue is not that digital resources shouldn't exist, but that they cannot completely replace print." Although the decision may seem to cut college costs, it could also end up being more expensive. "Sometimes e-books are much more expensive than print books—sometimes three times more," said Charlotte Gerstein, a reference and instruction librarian at Castleton University, which will merge into Vermont State University. "To make more texts available to unlimited users will cost a lot of money."

Gerstein said three of the five staff members in her library received layoff notices. She noted that a committee had been working on an alternative transition plan that included digitization until the new announcement. Consultation with staff could have produced other solutions, such as streamlining the physical collection. Gerstein believes the current plan will make the university beholden to publishers, and access-related disputes have already arisen. Last year, publisher Wiley removed 1,300 e-books from its academic collection, calling it a "routine collection review," but restored access after objections.

Beth McNeil, vice president of the Association of College and Research Libraries, is dean of libraries at Purdue University. Although its print collection is smaller than other institutions and it follows a digital-first philosophy, she believes Vermont State University's decision will weaken the student experience. "We still buy print books when requested, but if we receive a request to add to the collection without specifying a format, we choose digital," she said. "But even at Purdue, we still value our existing print materials because we know that, at present, they are irreplaceable."

Other libraries have already gone digital-first

However, other librarians say Vermont's decision is nothing new. Mark McBride, library deputy director at the research nonprofit Ithaka S+R, previously consulted for Vermont officials while working in the State University of New York system. In his view, the move is not out of step with the direction libraries are heading or the prevailing "digital-first" philosophy. "Reducing print collections is not unique," he said. "Institutions are investing more resources in student success rather than physical materials."

The University of Texas at San Antonio has had a paperless science and engineering library since 2010. Across the entire library system, print accounts for only 2.5% of circulated materials but about 7% of the library budget, said Dean Hendrix, dean of university libraries. This has helped the university save space and serve students—who are predominantly Latino and often eligible for federal Pell Grants (which are for low- and middle-income students). Hendrix said the paperless engineering library works well, but it is small and specialized, and the paperless model is not suitable for all disciplines. "Clearly some disciplines still rely on print for teaching and research," Hendrix said. "Art history is one—you might think of large art plates; and radiology, which needs X-rays, may require print for a complete experience."

Elaine Westbrooks, university librarian at Cornell University, expressed a similar view. The engineering library there is almost entirely digital, but other parts are not digital-first. She said digital technology may suit engineering, but it is more difficult for other disciplines. "What Vermont State University is doing is actually not new," Westbrooks said. "What can be learned from this whole episode is that libraries are deeply loved, iconic, and sacred."