Library supplies—cut 35%. Library subscriptions—cut 25%. Library books—cut 20%. How do you maintain high goals for instruction with dwindling funds? On a district level, the ability to do more with less is just not possible. It is the capability to reposition available resources that achieves critical goals. One way to visualize this concept is to think of a stretched elastic band. When that band is extended, it changes its shape to achieve different functions. So, to deliver more value for district dollars, it is necessary to stretch available funds by changing purchasing decisions. To maximize your budget allocation you need to prioritize, shop the best buy, and find funding support from additional sources. In a sense you are recreating purchasing power by using alternative solutions and innovative techniques to meet user demands.
A DISTRICT-LEVEL DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Prioritizing at the district level requires analyzing where the dollars are currently being spent and which resources serve curriculum needs best. If my database or book budget is cut, then obviously the same number of databases and books cannot be purchased. Holding the pricing at the same level as last year does help; yet a drop in budget means less money to spend. Since my budget has fewer dollars than in the year before, maintaining last year’s pricing still means adjusting what is purchased. At the district level, prioritizing requires input from the field. Districtwide committees charged with the task to review resources provide critical decision making information. Their input assists in determining which purchases are essential to fulfill curriculum requirements and meet different skill levels. The committees advise me on what the librarian at the building level considers vital in order to deliver instruction.
Working with the database committee helped me to make smart decisions when decreases in the variety of databases offered by the state created additional financial burdens on the district. Many of the eliminated databases in my state are relevant to schools. This is a blow to school libraries who are dealing with diminishing local funds. So the combination of fewer state-provided databases and reduced local funds negatively impacts the number of available resources. To prioritize budgeting for this year, my district library database committee reviewed each of the database subscriptions as well as researched databases from other providers. As part of the vetting process, this committee surveyed all the librarians at each level elementary, middle, and high school to set priorities on the databases currently in use. The results provided a definite preference in content and vendor product. Wherever possible, they review two databases that contain similar subject matter but are offered by different providers. The idea is to provide choices in pricing. Based on the committee’s recommendation and data, a $24,000 database was eliminated. Ironically, the database was a resource that everyone loved, but when examined we found that it was minimally used. Cutting this resource enabled the purchase of a database with a higher priority and need. This same process is possible for the variety of resources used in the school library.
SHOPPING FOR ALTERNATIVES
Shopping the best buy means finding alternatives, whether it is for databases or for print resources. Start by asking questions as they relate to your resources. Often the answers will frame choices for spending funds. For example, are there websites that offer information to replace resources? We replaced a poetry database with a website that provided similar information. Will teaching students how to use and evaluate RSS feeds, apps, and other digital means bring information to them? Instructing students on how to set up and evaluate information portals such as Google Alerts, RSS feeds, and expert opinions can reduce cost by providing a resource stream to users. Should e-books be considered? Often the e-books are priced lower than the print version. In our district, where there is a one-to-one laptop initiative for all secondary students, e-books makes sense. They are about half the price of hardbacks. Reading devices like the Kindle and Nook reduce expenses because a purchased title can be downloaded to six of these devices. If you are planning a community read, book club, or have a required reading program like Virginia Reader’s Choice then perhaps purchasing those titles for an electronic reading device is an economical way to provide multiple copies of those titles.
Exploring answers to vendor related questions will also frame better decisions. Will a vendor offer better pricing if other districts purchase the resource together? Sometimes consortium buying is helpful. Collaborate with colleagues in other districts to write a Request for Proposal (RPP) for specific resources. It is time consuming to write an RFP; but if you team up, the process is not so overwhelming. I need to mention that you must comply with your specific district and state purchasing guidelines when creating a joint RFP. Can a vendor deliver deeper savings when you purchase several resources at once? Bundling resources may provide a broader range of products and expand your purchasing power.
CHECK YOUR CONTRACTS AND YOUR CONTACTS
In addition, determine how changes in contracts and billing can stretch budget dollars. Will an extended contract continue services and stabilize increasing prices? This past year I completed a service contract with the intention of alleviating the rising cost for our software maintenance. Working with the purchasing department, the school lawyer, and the vendor resulted in a contract for service that is renewable each year for five years. As a word of caution, be sure to have the contract reviewed by your legal department. In our district, funds for future years cannot be encumbered since the budget is dependent on variable revenues. This often means that coming to a decision on extended or multiple year contracts may be a complex, difficult legal process. The monetary benefit resulting from developing an extended contract is well worth the time invested working through the details. For example, I currently have a software service contract that spells out specifically the amount that my district will pay each year for five years out. Not only did I save $12,000 dollars the first year, but the cost for this maintenance is locked in for five years out. Continue to ask questions such as what am I actually paying for? Review your invoices. I found that one vendor was billing us without a line item explanation. When I asked for the line item breakout, I found that we were being charged for items that were no longer in place. It seems so obvious that a company would send detailed statements, but it doesn’t always happen. By removing several items that were no longer used, approximately $2,000 was saved.
Work with others outside your district to obtain funding for your libraries. Target is a company that provides makeovers for school libraries. Visit your nearby Target to see if any of your schools qualify for this grant. It helps to visit personally because the managers are able to put a face with a need. Our local newspaper has an online subscription to the newspaper that is cheaper than the print. By working with the management of the newspaper, I was able to obtain pricing that maintains delivery of a print newspaper as well as a digital copy for each school. Some newspaper companies provide a digital subscription free with the print. Be sure to explore online newspaper parameters. Sometimes the connections to the digital paper are limited. You might decide that a print copy that can be read by multiple users is a better option. Options and considerations like these assist in saving money while stretching the budget.
SPECIAL FUNDING INITIATIVES
Also, look within your district to see where the money is flowing. Funds often follow federal programs, state mandates, and district initiatives. To become a viable recipient of these funds, formalize how the library program supports district objectives. Create a one page handout that relates the library mission and vision to instructional goals. Include an implementation timeline for the library support. It is effective to include additional data detailing the cost for the library program to support the initiative. When the preK program became a district priority, I surveyed the library collections and determined that preK materials in the school libraries were lacking and in some cases not evident. A committee of librarians, preK teachers, and public librarians developed a core list of titles needed to support the curriculum. Working with our book vendor, the suggested titles were reviewed for availability and binding preference. Then, armed with the resource list and pricing, I was able to seek financial assistance to purchase a preK core collection for each school library. What I thought was exciting about the addition of these books was that we gave the librarians essential tools to support a segment of the student population with unique needs. Funding for these materials came from outside the district library budget to assist with instructional goals for the district.
COMMUNICATION IS CRITICAL
Maintaining high expectations and curriculum goals can be achieved in spite of budget cuts, but it takes careful budgeting to position the available funds in a way that meets user needs. It also requires honesty when dealing with change. So be honest with the librarians and also with the vendors. Today, there is a level of understanding that was not present in times when money was more abundant. Yet consider giving your librarians as well as your vendors an opportunity to work with you. Let’s face it. There is an extensive change occurring at the district level, which ripples down to the librarians and the vendors. Just because change is prolific, it does not make it any easier. Even though every school district is rethinking how to spend their dollars, I feel it is my responsibility as a district supervisor to constantly anticipate how each decision impacts instructional delivery. Change creates a domino effect, and the librarians in the buildings are impacted. For example, when resources are replaced, then instruction must be modified. So, it is important to talk with the librarians and let them know how the budget allocation creates a need to think differently Inclusion means that the librarians are provided with the opportunity to understand the how and why of smarter spending. In the same way, it is important to be clear and explicit with vendors. Communicate your budget parameters to your vendors. This gives them an opportunity to work with you. Vendors know their pricing structure and options. In the end, they may find a product pricing solution that enables you to make smart decisions.
There are websites devoted to elastic band tricks. What I have shared with you are not tricks but effective ways to take the budget you have and stretch it in a different direction. You can make impressive changes in order to impact instruction in a positive way. So rather than initiate arbitrary budget decisions, plan to reposition your budget. Visualize how the funds; though less, can be optimized to effectively meet your libraries’ operational and instructional goals.
MLA Citation
Martin, Ann M. "MINI THEME: Buying Smarter—How to Make the Library Dollar Go Farther: Tactics for Tough Budget Times." Library Media Connection, 29, no. 4, January 2011. School Library Connection, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Article/1979592.
Entry ID: 1979592