In this article, the author presents the results of "Library Journal's" 2010 budget survey. The overall trend in FY10 indicated that 72 percent of survey respondents said their budget had been cut, and 43 percent had staff cuts. Among libraries serving populations above one million, these figures were even more acute, with 86 percent reporting…

This study compares the overall spending trends and patterns of growth of Academic Libraries with Public Libraries, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and hospitals in the period of 1998 to 2008. Academic Libraries, while showing a growth of 13% over inflation for the period, far underperformed the growth of the other public institutions…

It is no secret that library budgets are in a downward spiral like the rest of the economy. The recent annual budget survey by the "Library Journal" indicates that per capita funding for libraries will decline 1.6%, and total library budgets will be reduced by 2.6% in FY 2010. Librarians are all too familiar with this bad news, and some of them…

"California Library Laws 2008" is a selective guide to state laws and related materials that most directly affect the everyday operations of public libraries and organizations that work with public libraries. It is intended as a convenient reference, not as a replacement for the annotated codes or for legal advice. The guide is organized…

If one wanted to win a library election in 2006, what would have been the mythical perfect referenda? For building referenda, the sweet spot was hit with measures over $10 million, on a ballot sometime between September and December, with no other items on the ballot, in a general election, for a library serving a population under 100,000. For the…

Discusses expectations of public library reference service and the reality of what librarians can provide amid declining resources. Suggests reference librarians should define the gap between potential and reality in reference service, and inform the customers about how little money it would take to provide better service. Argues that librarians…

This guide discusses how collections budgets are planned, built, defended, and implemented. Each topic is illustrated with sample budgets and allocations typical of academic and public libraries serving their respective communities. Step-by-step guidance is offered to administrators and boards for meeting patrons' needs while addressing today's…

A study commissioned by the Milwaukee Federated Library System identified problems and proposed organizational strategies towards their solution. A manifest problem with research and reference service cost allocations led to Milwaukee County's withholding of funds, while latent problems were identified in the interlibrary book circulation system.…

Describes a computerized decision support system based on circulation data that was developed to assist the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library in materials acquisition budgeting and other library management decision making. The budget allocation model is explained, and implementation and testing of the decision support system is described.…

Discusses methods of evaluation that can be used to measure public library effectiveness, based on a conference sponsored by the Council on Library Resources. Topics discussed include the Public Library Effectiveness Study (PLES), quantitative and qualitative evaluation, using evaluative information for resource acquisition and resource…

Two articles explore the process of budgeting for library technical services and the impact of automation on this process in terms of equipment expenditures. The second article describes the retrenchment and fund raising activities of a public library in financial difficulty and their effects on future plans for the library. (CLB)

This handbook was designed to help Wisconsin Public Library trustees organize their thoughts, deliberations, and actions. The book is divided into three main sections: (1) Effective Public Library Trustees and Boards; (2) Planning for Effective Action by the Public Library Board; and (3) Appendixes. The purpose of the first section is to place in…

This discussion paper raises important issues for the future of Utah's public library services, specifically, the state's bookmobile service. Federal dollars used to support daily bookmobile operations in 22 counties will come to an end with the expiration of the "Library Services and Construction Act" in 1996. Beginning in 1997, the…

Some myths underlying the governance of social organizations and their impact upon libraries and library services in a number of areas are explored. Three articles examine some general trends in governance and how those trends relate to libraries; the others focus on trends of governance within particular types of libraries and information…

Three papers on library budget priorities for the 1990s discuss (1) reallocating the budget to spend less on staff and more on collections and access; (2) budget concerns of public libraries, emphasizing the future role of libraries; and (3) the academic library perspective, including assumptions, evaluation, and new paradigms related to library…