Library should back off on printout pricing

The signs in the Main and Science-Engineering libraries indicate library users collectively consumed about $60,000 on paper and toner during a calendar year. At first look that number seems astounding, as $60,000 seems like an incredible amount of money to spend simply supplying paper and toner for the millions of pages printed by university students. However, when that number is considered in relation to the number of university students, faculty and staff that have access to the library, a different conclusion may be drawn.

According to the UA factbook, there were 33,737 students enrolled for the 1997 fall semester. Divide that $60,000 by the 33,737 students who have access to the library and one finds the average cost of paper usage per student amounts to approximately $1.78. Certainly, this number creates a different impression than $60,000 annually. The cost per user drops again when one takes into account the approximately 1600 faculty and 8,500 staff members who also have access to the library. When 43,837 members of the university community are considered, the average cost per user drops to less than $1.37.

Of course, there are problems with these calculations as there are other places that students print pages and different libraries that are used. Therefore, the UA does incur a greater cost than the $60,000 indicated on library signs. However, the fact still remains that the approximate library cost for computer-based printing is relatively small when measured on a per student basis.

Signs in the library present a second phenomenal statistic: 2,640,686 pages have been printed during 151/2 months. Using this number, one may estimate that 2,044,000 pages were printed in a year. After doing the math, members of the university community print an average of 47 pages per year, or 3.9 pages per month. Thus, it seems that UA professors are not demanding enough from students! How can the average student get through a year of classes printing an average of only 3.9 pages per month at the university library?

The library signs suggest that, in the future, a 10 cents per page charge will be levied for each printed page of material. This cost is undoubtedly excessive. Sure, the library incurs a cost with every printed page, but to impose such a significant cost would deter students from acquiring research materials and discourage printing rough drafts and subsequent revisions.

One last look at the numbers indicates $60,000 divided by about 2 million annual printed pages comes to less than three cents per page. To insist on charging the patron more than 300 percent of the supply cost seems excessive.

Without a doubt, students can print fewer pages - and they probably should. Ultimately, however, the library and its resources should be a place that all students can enjoy as a cheaply and as equitably as possible. A university should be a place where financial distinctions between students are left behind. The university library should further this goal and not charge for printing pages.

Ed McKennon
Non-matriculated graduate student