In the throes of a cash crunch, the librarians at Oslo's Nobel Institute for a time donned gloves and tended to the gardens after the landscapers were laid off. The prestigious institution behind the Nobel Peace Prize has been hard hit by rising costs and funding cuts -- made worse by the expense of running its vast and old offices. With staff reduced from eight to five people since the 1990s, it is now turning to Norway's parliament for support -- raising concerns about the institution's independence. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES