Great news today!

Last year - at the end of the financial year - the Library was given quite a large amount of money by all the Faculties. Partly because the Faculties hadn't spent it and partly because we could - and had need!

Despite me dutifully spending absolutely every cent of the book budget as we'd been warned we'd lose it if we didn't get through it, the Library *did* underspend on what the Head called 'paperclips and people'. This was largely because of our staffing review and the voluntary severance exercise which has meant several people have left and not been replaced. (Not becasue I suddenly stopped using paperclips!)

Anyway, the University instructed the Library to offer this money back to the faculties but Technology (and I believe the others may be following suit) have decided not to take it so that we can pay for the IEEE Xplore database for another year *and* have a book fund!

Wow! I thought it might be one or the other but never dreamed that both might really be a possibility.

Of course, it only delays the IEEE pain for another year. But that's 12 months away. In the meantime, I'd better get buying boooks.