Fogg Budget Overrun Forces Work Cutbacks

Budget overruns have forced the Fine Arts Library at the Fogg Museum to reduce student work hours. Wolfgang M. Freitag, librarian of the Fine Arts Library, said yesterday.

The budget problems arose because administrators based student wage allocations on figures that overestimated student work-study participation this year, he said.

Because only half as many work-study students as expected applied for positions at the library, the library was forced to hire additional workers at regular wage rates of $3.10 to $3.65 per hour. The library pays only 70 cents an hour for work-study participants.

Library officials asked students to curtail their working hours voluntarily about two weeks ago, one student worker said, adding that most were happy to do so because of holidays and exams.

Freitag said part of the reason for the library's shortage of work-study students is that not all work-study students meet the library's requirements. The library needs students with a high allowance of work-study hours because of the large amount of time required to train students, he added.

"Greater skills are needed in a small specialized library like this. We cannot afford to train people who can only work" a short time, Freitag said.

Lawrence E. Maguire '58, director of student employment, said yesterday he does not understand the shortage of work-study students for the Fine Arts Library.

More work-study money is available for both Harvard and Radcliffe students than ever before, Maguire said.