When a city faces a budget crisis, libraries and museums are the first services to be slashed, regardless of their value to the community. The COVID-19 pandemic has already begun to undermine the budgets of colleges and universities across the country and worldwide. Department chairs and university librarians will likewise no doubt be pressured to cut library subscriptions, programs and even faculty–and liberal arts is often the first area where cutbacks are made.
Oh, the Humanities! was recently asked by a professor for suggestions on resources that could be used to defend the humanities in the face of what will likely be unprecedented pressure to slash budgets in the next academic year and perhaps for several years to come. In response, we’ve started a Google document with citations for reports, articles and blog posts that you can use to make the case in defending the humanities. Rather than saying, “I think I read something recently about the economic benefits of a liberal arts education,” you will be able to cite the precise report by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Now we want to throw the list open to the community for their recommendations. Add your suggested resources here; anyone can edit the document.