With
the decrease of funds, many libraries are trying to figure out ways to cut
costs in order to save money. Driscoll (2012) explained “if you find
a way to do something for 50 cents that formerly cost you a dollar, you get an
extra 50 cents to put to other uses.” This is difficult for many libraries as
they do not want to take away from the services that are being offered to the
public. Hence, libraries are trying to come up with new ways to cut costs
without the public directly being affected.
Driscoll (2012) found libraries are cutting costs by “outsourcing,
cloud computing, using Netflix to supplement libraries’ audiovisual
collections, buying used books for collections, re-evaluating standing order,
and using free online tools instead of buying software of apps.” Additionally,
Driscoll (2012) explained libraries are using “shared resources and increasing
cooperation among libraries, putting pressure on vendors over pricing,
directing users to free content through open-access sources, and accelerating
the move from print to digital.”
Another area that libraries rely on for some of their
budgets is fundraising. Each library has a different way of raising money.
Driscoll (2012) found “successful techniques include appealing to donors’
egos, saying thank you, matching donors’ interests to library needs, and
inviting donors (and potential donors) to join library boards and attend
library-sponsored events.”
In addition to fundraisers, libraries also use annual
campaigns to raise money. Driscoll (2012) pointed out “annual funds are
important because the flexibility of unrestricted funds enables them to go
toward the library's most pressing needs and because annual gifts can become
stepping stones to higher levels of giving for donors.”
Besides fundraising and campaigns, libraries are turning
to the friends of the library to help support programs and purchasing
materials. However, Driscoll (2012) argues there can be problems with members
of friends “including clashing personalities, unclear roles and
responsibilities, occasional unreliability, and demands on library resources
and staff time.”
Libraries
also rely on gifts or donations to help provide resources to library users.
According to ALA’s Frontline Fundraising
Toolkit, “For libraries of all sizes, planned giving is the
future—it is estimated that $20 trillion will be transferred
intergenerationally between 2000 and 2020” (Driscoll, 2012). Driscoll (2012) explained:
One
of the biggest challenges in attempting to generate additional revenue is
evaluating whether the investments in equipment and/or staff time are likely to
pay off in the long run. If a library devotes a full-time position to rights
and reproductions, for example, will revenue exceed the cost of the employee's
salary and fringe benefits?
In any profession, it usually takes money to make money. In
order to help offset decreasing budgets, libraries need to determine which
strategies work best to help raise money. They need to continually find ways to
improve ideas and learn to try new things so the library can determine what
works and what does not work as well.
What strategies do you think libraries should use in
order to raise money? What are some ways that libraries can cut back on costs
while still improving service to all library users?
References:
Driscoll, Anne. (2012). Books
in print: indispensable or unnecessary for academic library collection
development. Reference Reviews, 26(4),
4-8.
Energy-efficient technology might be one way that libraries could cut down on costs. The decreased energy bills would help out, especially in large libraries.
ReplyDeleteWhile I hate to say it, decreasing staff or hours also might help. Even if a library was open only 30 minutes less every day, that would save three and half hours per week per hourly staff member. Cross training between departments such as reference and circulation could help as well, and installing (more) self-check out stations could mean less circulation staff in total.
In the article, "Sustainability as a Driving Force in Contemporary Library Design," Edwards (2011) explained "like all public buildings, libraries have a major impact on the environment. This extends from the energy used for heating, lighting, and ventilation to energy consumed via computers and in transport reaching the building" (p. 194). This statement is in acccordance with your suggestion of using energy efficient technology. Edwards (2011) further explained "typically a modern office building uses about 30 percent of its total energy consumption for electric lighting. However, in a public library the lighting figure can approach 45 percent" (p. 196). Based on this information, energy efficient lightbulbs would be a good option for many libraries as the lights are on for most of the time that the building is open.
ReplyDeleteEdwards (2011) pointed out:
The bulk of energy consumed in library buildings is to heat, light, and ventilate the interior spaces. Libraries also consume significant levels of energy to power computers and other forms of multimedia. So libraries are high-energy users and should seek to generate their own power (through photovoltaic panels or ground-source heating) wherever feasible. To achieve a low carbon footprint, the library architect needs to maximize daylight and opportunities for natural ventilation, to exploit solar energy for wintertime heating and summertime stack-effect cooling, to control excessive solar gains and internal glare, and employ construction materials that have low embodied energy and high recycling potential. (p. 195-196)
In addition to energy efficient technology, decreasing the amount of professional staff would also help. Many libraries are turning to using paraprofessionals to work reference desks in order to save money with the decreasing funds. In the article, "Measuring Referrals: The Use of Paraprofessionals at the Reference Desk," Dinkins and Ryan (2010) explained:
Fewer librarians may be hired while at the same time more paraprofessional staff may be needed. If the librarians are not needed at a reference desk, administrators must decide if other tasks can be addressed in the time gained. Librarians may be reassigned to develop virtual reference services, blogs, social networking sites, or other nontraditional outlets of communication. (p. 286)
There are many ways that libraries can save money while still offering the same service and benefits to all library users to make sure everyone's library experience is a positive one!
-Lindsay F.
References:
Dinkins, D. & Ryan, S. (2010). Measuring referrals: the use of paraprofessionals at the reference desk. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(4), 279-286. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/10.1016/j.acalib.2010.05.001
Edwards, B. Sustainability as a driving force in contemporary library design. Library trends, 60(1), 190-214. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lxh&AN=67333282&site=ehost-live
This quote in the above paragraph scared me a bit as an MLIS student: "Fewer librarians may be hired while at the same time more paraprofessional staff may be needed. If the librarians are not needed at a reference desk, administrators must decide if other tasks can be addressed in the time gained. Librarians may be reassigned to develop virtual reference services, blogs, social networking sites, or other nontraditional outlets of communication." I have to say that this, along with personal experiences I have had, lead me to believe that this is the way many libraries are going. At the academic library I previously worked at, they cut all the librarians there down to 1/2 or 3/4 time while all the paras or support staff stayed at full time. There is getting to be more and more tasked that support staff is trusted to do to cut down costs. My question is if we continue to cut those costs, are we ok losing librarians? Is there a way to save money without making our librarians suffer? While some librarian tasks may be rearranged, there seems to be fewer and fewer jobs that are librarian only. What can be done to change this? How can we protect our librarians from budget cuts?
ReplyDeleteKalie - You bring up some interesting questions. I agree with you that libraries cutting back the amount of librarians working can be quite scary, especially for informational professsionals, such as us, who are soon to be competing in the job market for librarian positions.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your questions, I think that there is much to be said about what can be done to ensure librarian positions will remain important in all libraries. However, staffing librarians and non-professional staff members can be challenging for libraries, especially when libraries do not have the funds to support many librarians. What if librarians could specialize themselves to offer services that non-professional staff members could not? After all, earning a Master's Degree in MLIS should count for something? I think it is important to take advantage of all that is learned throughout your degree to make sure you are getting the most knowledge to better yourself in the future. If you can benefit a library because of your innovative ideas, then you are more likely to get hired.
At the library I work at, many of the librarians have taken on additional roles so they are in charge of multiple tasks, including programs and collections. This can save money in the long run because more tasks are being accomplished but still have librarians doing the work. Also, only a limited amount of librarians work full-time while the majority work part-time. I would rather see part-time librarians than non-professional staff helping in libraries.
Here is an interesting and brief video that discusses some of the reasons on why librarians will continue to be important to libraries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEw0nmGwm5E&feature=related
-Lindsay F.
Library cuts have been a huge issue in Toronto this last year (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/library-cuts-will-happen-in-a-heartbeat-doug-ford-says/article557227/) If anyone has any interest in what is going on in my city.. It is very sad. Anyway, from what I gather is a lot of people who want to make cuts to libraries don't actually understand how the library budget is used. Embarassingly the mayor of Toronto thought most of it was spent on DVD's. Libraries are a vital part of many cities and cutting hours would only do damage. A lot of people rely on the libraries for after school programs, tutoring, help finding jobs for new immagrants, etc... Obviously there is always going to be a demand to cut budgets but I think there needs to be more education in what libraries need money for as budget cuts can be devastating to the services they provide.
ReplyDeleteAs Danielle suggested maybe a way to avoid cuts to services would be to look at making libraries more energy efficent to save money on costs associated with running the actual facility. I think this is definitely the best route to consider.
Tess - I agree that I think libraries should try to find other options as to areas they can cut back on besides the services being offered to library users. Here is an interesting article about one library that decided to cut back on the spending of books so that they could keep more staff. http://www.northjersey.com/community/at_the_library/news/020811_Wayne_library_board_advances_budget_that_cuts_book_spending_but_saves_jobs.html
ReplyDeleteDo you agree with this? Would you rather have libraries offer less materials but have better staff? This is a tough decision for some libraries because people prefer current information but if libraries do not have the staff to find the information, what good is it all?
-Lindsay F.