Prior to Fall 2019, UMKC did not have a library fee at all, and student tuition money doesn’t go to the library. The library gets a General Resource Allocation budget from the university, but the library’s budget has remained flat or been reduced every year for the past 10 years. This has meant that the library has not even been able to keep purchasing all the resources (books, articles, databases, etc.) that students need, and also can’t provide all the services students want and need.
What kinds of services do students want? The library has been collecting feedback directly from students through surveys, research, focus groups and more. The most popular request? Longer library hours!
The summary of the library's research and data collection is that UMKC students need:
Without revenue from a Library Fee, the UMKC Libraries would not be able to improve the library spaces, resources, or technology to keep up with what UMKC students need. Instead, the Libraries would strive to maintain existing services and resources, but those are subject to budget cuts every year.