Learning outcomes:
1. Evaluate financial resources.
2. Use a range of models and approaches to solve financial resources problems.
3. Identify viable alternative solutions and actions and recognize the consequence of their implementation.
Overview:
Sean Gaffney’s class reviewed the basics of library budgeting. I wish this class was required when I was an MLS student. Over the years, however, I have improved my financial management skills but in fits and starts. Librarians at my institution rotate into the position of department chair for two year stints and we take on the primary responsibility of managing the budget during that time. Even though it is a collaborative process between all the librarians and our dean, it falls upon the department chair to make sure we stay within budget.
Favorite assignment:
Funding shortages are a regular occurrence for all libraries and librarians should be experts at plugging the holes, so to speak. In this paper, I focused on my experiences with both academic and public libraries and how they handle funding shortages. While my examples are typical ones, it was worthwhile going through this exercise because I learned of a consortium that was formed between three community colleges when the local California State University integrated library system (ILS) the colleges were using became unavailable due to changes within the CSU system. It was a great example of collaboration to save money and paved the way for more resource sharing opportunities between the three colleges.
Final Project:
My final project in this class focused on the budgetary issues surrounding academic libraries today, especially as it pertains to traditional acquisition budget models vs. new evolutionary services based on the changing role of libraries. In this paper, I advocate for a shift in budgets to areas where libraries have taken on new responsibilities such as open access, digital media labs and maker spaces. I plan on conducting further research on this topic with a colleague in the hope of getting it published soon!