Petition link https://chng.it/9vqkGWKntx

Join us in signing this petition to save the UW Tateuchi East Asia Library (TEAL) and safeguard our culture and library books! TEAL is one of North America's topnotch East Asian libraries and the only one in the Pacific Northwest. With an extensive collection of over 800,000 items mostly in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages, TEAL has served the University of Washington, local communities, and beyond with excellence for 86 years. It has garnered the most substantial endowment funds among all 16 UW libraries across three UW campuses, including a transformative $6 million gift in 2020 from the Tateuchi Foundation, marking the second-largest donation ever received by UW Libraries. In early March 2023, however, the new Dean of UW Libraries, Simon Neame, made a sudden decision without consulting faculty, donors, or library employees to centralize 75% of TEAL staff by reassigning them to three other departments within UW Libraries. This hasty move undermines TEAL's capacity as a successful and independent library, while Mr. Neame justifies it by claiming it will enhance efficiency and communication. However, TEAL has consistently demonstrated its efficiency as one of the most effective units within UW Libraries. Despite comprising only 3.7% of the entire library staff, TEAL manages 9% of UW Libraries’ collections. Their track record of successful projects showcases their adept communication with the rest of UW Libraries. Dean Neame's stated reasons for centralizing TEAL staff are unfounded. The future of the Tateuchi East Asia Library is deeply concerning. Moreover, in addition to downgrading the Tateuchi East Asia Library, another concerning action taken by the new Dean of Libraries is the annual removal of 30,000 books from the Suzzallo-Allen Library to address the space shortage for collections. Last year, 30,000 volumes were discarded, and this year, an additional 35,000 volumes will be discarded. 

This seriously damages the reputation of the University of Washington as a leading research institution and jeopardizes teaching and research for faculty and students. While certain fields can rely on digital resources, the majority of humanities and social science disciplines still depend on print collections. We demand that the new Dean of UW Libraries publicly disclose his plans and vision for the Tateuchi East Asia Library and the entire university library. We firmly oppose the weakening of the East Asia Library and the large-scale discarding of books as part of UW Libraries vision.  Despite a lengthy three-month wait, Dean Neame has consistently failed to deliver satisfactory responses to our petition. We firmly demand complete transparency and open discussions from the Dean, as we strongly believe in the importance of these principles. Our ultimate goal is to reverse the decision and ensure the preservation of TEAL in its entirety; stop discarding UW Libraries’ collections.   Please sign the petition to show your support! https://chng.it/9vqkGWKntx