University President Frederick Lawrence announced in a Feb. 10 campuswide e-mail that himself, Provost Marty Krauss and Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins had reviewed and accepted three main recommendations made by the Library and Technology Services Advisory Committee in their latest report concerning the replacement of Vice Provost and Vice President for Library and Technology Services Perry Hanson, who has announced his retirement.The committee was charged in August by Collins and Krauss to examine how to best replace Hanson, according to the report.

On Jan. 21, the committee presented its report to Collins, Krauss and Lawrence, which examined the merged nature of LTS, the search for a new LTS leader and the LTS budget and resources.

The report recommended that LTS remain a merged organization on campus during the search for a new LTS leader because "libraries and information technology are two of the most rapidly-changing components of colleges and universities" and that "there seems to be general satisfaction with Brandeis' merged organization." This recommendation was accepted by Lawrence, Krauss and Collins.

Concerning the search for the new LTS leader, the report suggested that the new LTS leader be advertised as a "Vice President (Provost) for Libraries and Technology" that would report to the Provost while also working closely with Lawrence to develop a strategic plan for the continuance of LTS.

Moreover, the report suggested three possible models for LTS leadership, where additional staff should be hired depending on the strengths of the newly selected vice provost. According to the report, Gene Spencer, an external consultant to LTSAC, recommended a model in which a head of LTS with a broad background of experience hire a chief technology officer in addition to a university librarian to oversee all of the areas of LTS.

However, the campuswide e-mail from Lawrence only addressed that there would be the creation of a search committee for the next LTS leader, and did not elaborate into the future leadership model.

In an interview with the Justice, Hanson explained that the leadership model would likely be discussed once the LTS leader was selected based on his or her strengths and background.

The last section of the report, not addressed in Lawrence's e-mail, described the LTS budget and resources, which were cut dramatically during the 2008 to 2009 academic year, resulting in a 15-percent cut of staff and a million-dollar budget reduction across the department, according to Hanson.

The report explained that because of budgetary cuts, "some measures that LTS has taken to cover the shortfall are clearly unsustainable over the middle or long term," measures which Hanson described as not updating technology as much as possible and placing more responsibility on the heavily student-run LTS Help Desk.

"One of the big, big challenges for libraries and technology is that we never have money, we're always viewed as the sinkhole where all the money goes," said Hanson, who further explained that according to the LTS strategic plan, LTS is responsible for 44 University services, ranging from sustaining infrastructure to supporting teaching and learning.

Prof. Robert Sekeuler (PSYC) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that LTSAC is very concerned with the sustained budget cuts, but that "despite extraordinary budget stringencies, LTS has already managed to carry out a number of the consultants' recommendations" from a Shepley Bullfinch Richardson & Abbott consulting report conducted several years ago to determine how to make the library run more efficiently.

"[LTSAC's] issue, one of the 200 issues Fred Lawrence has to figure out, is where the library and where IT services stack up in terms of redirecting money," Hanson said.

In an e-mail to the Justice, Senior Vice President of Communications Andrew Gully wrote "resources for LTS are among the items we need to examine and think about during the current and future budget cycles."

Both the campuswide e-mail and Gully wrote that the search committee will form in the coming weeks. Hanson will continue to serve in his position until a replacement is found.