Emerald | Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances, The

The recession, budgets, expectations and realities

Charles I. Guarria — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article seeks to provide insight on how librarians managed through the recession. It aims to highlight key areas of concern such as budgets and personnel. It is the culmination of two surveys administered in the succeeding summers of 2009 and 2010. Design/methodology/approach – The library community was notified of the surveys and provided the surveys' link via numerous library listservs. The same listservs were used for each survey. The responses received were from representatives of academic, special and public libraries. Findings – An examination of the surveys reveals that budget cuts were worse in fiscal year (FY) 2009 than they were in 2010. Suggesting the cuts enacted in FY 2009 were effective thus less severe cuts were needed in FY 2010. Stress levels were high for FY 2009 and inched higher in FY 2010. There was no significant help, in terms of cost sharing for purchases, from the departments within the organizations the libraries served. Best practice suggestions were offered in many areas to include communication, purchasing and personnel. Originality/value – When the economy experiences a contraction, businesses, governments and the general population begins to rein in expenses. This affects libraries of all types, special, academic and public. The article explores how the library community dealt with this issue and provides information that generates problem solving ideas for those in budgetary and leadership roles.

Pleasing all at the expense of many

Anthony McMullen — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article's aim is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The article uses real world experiences to provide commentary on decision-making practices as they relate to discontinuing library services under increasingly tight budget constraints. Findings – Librarians’ strong service ethic is both a benefit and a detriment. In their efforts to serve all, they often stretch thin the human, financial, and temporal resources, thereby adversely affecting the most valuable services. Originality/value – The article uses real-world examples to provide critical commentary on the decision-making process as it relates to continuing / discontinuing library services and resources.

Great profits from great teams

Terry Cottrell — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explicate the universal theme of teamwork within organizations as a performance factor toward effective and efficient library cost savings and long-term group success. Design/methodology/approach – Focusing on lessons from the past, along with current research and experience, library managers can gain insight into tried and true actions increasing the potential for team success essential for smooth operations. Findings – A multitude of elements contribute to effective team management. The cultivation of creativity, the resolution and anticipation of conflict, the blending of physical and virtual interaction and a focus on external environments are key. Originality/value – This paper provides a comparison of current team dynamics with those of the past to show that merely the context of good team management has changed while the core goal of library team management has remained.

The singularity and the library

Kirstin Steele — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article aims to consider what libraries might be used for after machines become smarter than humans. Design/methodology/approach – The article considers how Vernor Vinge's novel Across Realtime and his essay “The coming technological singularity” inform possible library futures. Findings – Libraries might become havens for humans left out of the high-tech future, or museums for defunct technologies, or vanish completely. Originality/value – The article expands discussion of the library's future beyond the foreseeable.

Collection liquidation

James R. Lund — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to encourage public librarians to reconsider the future value of their paper book collections. Design/methodology/approach – The author interacts with developing trends to make an argument for supporting paper book collections in the digital age. Findings – The liquidation of Borders Group Inc. provides the public library with an opportunity to market its paper collections to publishers and paper book buyers. Originality/value – The article offers a contrarian perspective on the enduring value physical book collections will play in the digital age.

The policy/procedure manualpart I: making and abiding by good policies

Gary Fitsimmons — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – This article's purpose is to show the importance of making and sticking to well-made policies and how to make them. Design/methodology/approach – The article starts with the importance of good policies and procedures, differentiates between the two and then lays out points on how to make and abide by good policies. Findings – The findings are that making and abiding by good policies reflects the library leader's management style and the values of the institution and they are necessary for any organization to be effective in carrying out its mission. Practical implications – Libraries need to have and abide consistently by good policies in order to function properly. Social implications – Libraries need to have and abide consistently by good policies in order to truly benefit their constituents. Originality/value – The value of the article is in learning how to firmly establish a basic aspect of good library management that will help the library director make sound management decisions in diverse situations.

Libraries' response to the crisis: measures to mitigate its impact

Nuria Lloret Romero — 2011-11-29 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to present the initiatives that libraries and information services should take from the standpoint of management or services in times of economic crisis or recession such as the one currently occurring. When budget cuts, downsizing and cuts in equipment are continuous, it is important to reflect on the path that each library should take to overcome the crisis while providing users the services they require. Design/methodology/approach – There are projects internationally, including, inter alia, Pulman and Calimera, which highlight the supportive role of lifelong training, of both formal and informal education and of the libraries' contribution to social and economic development. They even claim that along with archives and museums, libraries should collaborate in developing a strong local economy by supporting local businesses and industry in different ways (offering information services, stimulating the acquisition of basic skills and providing career guidance). Logically, the public library is not the only – and may not even be the principal agent or the one most associated with this problem – which can address job insecurity, economic hardship and people's need for training. However, in the author's view it can have a significant and active role, in coordination with other agents, and it is important to take advantage of its potential: its collections, the training of its staff members, its familiarity with the everyday life of towns and cities, its openness to everyone without any preconditions, etc. Findings – In recent years some libraries have seen their financial resources reduced, or have remained stagnant in face of an increased demand for service. A first consideration in this context, which might be very hard but is unavoidable when faced with such a reality, is the need to rethink which services to keep and which to reduce or cancel if there is insufficient funding. At times it is necessary to choose what to do without. Originality/value – Public libraries are increasingly becoming more of a social space where all people can go for information, learning and culture, regardless of their age, level, training or background. The library as a resource, which in many cases is public, and which enables individuals to enjoy their right to information should be defended to the fullest in times such as these. Also, to the greatest extent possible, libraries should be used in a compensatory manner, targeting people with fewer resources who are in need of skills that enable them to return to the workplace or reduce the consequences of lack of income.