Funding the Library

Jake Rundle
Public Library
Assignment #2
The topic for the last couple of weeks in class has been centered on the biggest issue I can think of in Public libraries to date: funding. Not only is the economy down, but even when the nation was not in a tanked economy, the library was suffering. Budget cuts and belt tightening are becoming a yearly way of life for librarian professionals. What makes this all the harder is that some libraries are paid for with city property taxes. That means that a weak housing market and foreclosures a new reality in many people’s lives, the library is losing money everywhere it turns. The five articles I have reviewed are all taking a look at how the library pays for itself, and how it pays for itself in this tough economic climate. Some articles, like in Davis, look specifically at library technology and what it costs to sustain this integral service to library patrons. Meanwhile, in one of the Pearson articles, he talks about the community involvement and the creation of Friends groups as a means of helping a library that is losing its public funding more and more often in the yearly budget.
What ties all the articles together, even more than the big theme of “we’ve all got less money and more patrons” is the simple ways these libraries are trying to combat this increasingly alarming issue. Whether it is the creation of a Friends of the Library group or perhaps something as simple as reducing the weekly hours and prioritizing services in the library, the methods approached by the articles were not mind bending mathematics and graduate level accounting tips. These were simple ideas that libraries across the nation have already taken to plug holes in a sinking budget and still offer the highest quality of service that patrons expect to have at their public library. The Smith and Langenkamp article is one exception to the “simple” rule. That article outlines a series of step that can be taken to better use the funds available for purchasing titles for the library. The Davis article is the other exception. It doesn’t give suggestions, but instead gives librarians and other interested parties the hard facts on what it costs to sustain technology in the library. It also gives great information about planning for future technology and what steps the library should take in order to make it happen smoothly.
I think what I find most comforting about all of the articles is that they are relevant to so many libraries at this current point in history. With everyone in the same boat, it’s nice to see that there are still smart people in the library community who are brainstorming for us and giving us the best possible information.












Davis, D. (2009). Challenges to sustaining library technology in a tough economy. Public Library, 48(4), 12-17.

This article is a detailed look at a study done by various library bodies to determine the amount of technology being used in libraries and if there is an increase in library use of technology relative to how far into a recession the country currently is. The ALA Office of Research & Statistics and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded one study, called the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study. It was a three-year study assesses the public access to computers, the Internet and Internet related services (p. 13). The findings showed that demand for the public access to these services was up but the Internet connections the library was hosting were not as fast as they would have liked to be and skilled librarians needed to help give better service to patrons accessing the computers and the internet are not being hired fast enough.
Another finding of the study was that libraries are seeing a shift in where their money comes from and how it applies to the budget as a whole. On of the more startling facts that I read was that libraries are now relying more on “soft money (fees, fines, donations and grants)” to pay for staff salary. That’s startling because that seems like the kind of money that might not be reliable from a year to year basis. Donations might not be as available or people might not be paying their fines in a certain fiscal year, so how does a library continue to operate and pay its staff with a big “what if” for a budget line?


Pearson, P. (2009). Fundraising and advocacy in tough times. Public Libraries, 48(4), 21-23.

In an economic downturn, when everyone in the nonprofit circle is looking for donors and money, it’s hard to think that the library can really complete with big deal charities like the MDA or Breast Cancer research, however, Pearson gives a remarkably thorough outline of the exact steps a library needs to take in an down year to turn lemons into lemonade.
His first point was to show statistics to reassure those reading the article that most donors to the library will probably not disappear into the ether just because the economy is down. He notes that many donors give out of their paychecks and not their stock portfolios, so there is a reasonable assumption that as long as donors still have jobs they will continue to give in some respect. Another interesting fact he noted was that the creation of new non-profit groups in many states has come to a standstill in recent years. This means that there is not a new source to hemorrhage fundraising dollars because it doesn’t exist.
What Pearson does do very well in this article is showcase a library that takes an economic downturn and makes it into a boon year for the library. He mentions the little acts that a library can do to make the current donors feel appreciated and perhaps increase donations as well. One suggestion is to recognize those donors who have been giving more ten years or more. Another is to give recognition to those donors who give more than a certain dollar amount every year. The Library where Pearson works does this by a luncheon or special program for those donors and thanks them in an annual donor edition of the library newsletter.
His final advice is to not suspend capital campaigns just because the economy is down. He points out that new buildings and renovation needs do not go away just because people are losing money in the stock market.


Smith, A, & Langenkamp, S. (2007). Indexed collection budget allocations. Public Library, 46(5), 50-54.

In tough economic times, it’s generally best to know exactly where the money is coming from and where it is going. This is especially true with the book budget, as it is one of the most important expenses the library has in a given fiscal year. Smith and Langenkamp are Texas librarians who speak to how the library they work with manages the collection as efficiently as possible with the funds they have available and how using a budget index with circulation numbers gives a good foundation for developing the collection from year to year.
The article gave a detailed look at how this Texas library took the budget numbers from each of its collection areas and used that with the circulation numbers to find a dollar amount to spend in the next year’s budget. The library does this by applying an algebra equation that plugs in the various numbers from across the library and puts out a number that can be tracked and utilized by the library in the next fiscal year. The Budget index is the other part of the operation. This particular budget index looks at price per unit numbers and circulation numbers as well as what the current budget says needs to still be purchased in a given area of the library to create a number that more accurately shows how much money should be spent within the areas of collection development.
The conclusion of the article informs readers that the tables and numbers given were only one way of using the budget index to creat a more meaningful output of funds. Another plan is to use numbers based on desired acquisition without looking at circulation. The authors did this last work up to show just how flexible and awesome the budget index could be for the library.


Pearson, D. (2009). It takes a village to support a library. Georgia Library Quarterly, 46(4), 6-7.

This article is a short look at some simple ideas to keep a library afloat in the downed economy.
The first suggestion that Pearson gives is to look at the work the Friends of the Library association can do to help. He notes that the Saint Paul public library’s (where Pearson is associated) Friends association utilizes its own advocacy committee to meet and develop proposals to be given to the mayor and the city council for considerations to the library budget. The Friends groups uses that communication with the city planners to make sure that the library and the city are on the same page with regard to where monies need to go and what is being expended.
Pearson says another important role the Friends group needs to play is the role of fund raiser. Particularly important to this endeavor is having a serious group of individuals be appointed to the Friends of the Library board. These people must see the job they are doing as a valued service to the library. If board members and others in charge don’t see their work at needed, then the library could suffer as a result.
A final note from Pearson tells libraries to keep a stiff upper lip. While it is an “unprecedented time for libraries” it is not the end of the world. He notes that a little planning and a little effort on the part of the library and the library’s Friends organization will go a long way toward the support of the library.







Holland, S, & Verploeg, A. (2009). No easy targets. Public Library, 48(4), 27-38.

This article is a compilation of interviews on a grand scale, encompassing libraries of all sizes and the library directors who run and support them. Some of the issues discussed in the interviews cover coping strategies for the tough economy and prioritizing services to become a sustainable resource during what the authors of the article calls a “changing perception” that has patrons seeing the library as an expendable resource instead of a pillar of the community.
The six libraries surveyed for this article come from all over the nation. Iowa, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Illinois and Connecticut are the six states where the libraries are surveyed. The libraries range in size from the Connecticut library servicing a population of less than 10,000 patrons to the Brooklyn library in New York servicing 2.5 million patrons in the borough. The libraries are all different, but as is becoming a trend, many are facing the same problems. The authors of the survey note some of the trends and some of the reactions to these new trends that these and libraries like them are making in this current economic freefall.
The first trend noted is an increase in use. Book sales were down 7% nationwide, with many of those purchasers turning to the local library to be their resource for reading materials. The same is true for the circulation of music and other materials at the library. There are more people utilizing more and more of the services when the individuals cannot afford it on their own.
Another trend is the dialing down of library hours. The Brooklyn Public Library eliminated all of its Sunday services across all of the Brooklyn branches. It is an effort to save money for the coming fiscal year, but it’s a hard decision to make. Hiring freezes and the elimination of programs with large sustainability costs are other efforts libraries are trying to make to stay ahead of the falling market.
Other decisions being made by the libraries are a focus on prioritized service, putting effort into studying what services are utilized at which branches in an effort to make the cost cutting as painless as possible. In some instances, this has been a successful endeavor. The authors noted that all the libraries tried to make as informed a decision as possible in terms of cost cutting while still offering the best service that could be achieved.