Budgeting for Mean, Lean Times Part 2

2. I can counter the argument that the free Internet will replace libraries, books and purchased online information sources.

I haven't seen it, but I hear there is a bumper sticker that reads, "Libraries for people who can't afford Internet access." A somewhat extreme sentiment to be sure, but one that echoes these more common statements that you, as an educational leader, may have overheard:

• "Now that we have an on-line encyclopedia, we don't need to buy any print versions."
• "Buying books is investing in an out-dated technology. All the information anyone needs is available on the Internet - for free."
• "These on-line fees will have to be taken out of your magazine budget."
• "Our new school won't need a library since all the classrooms will be networked."

What motivates otherwise knowledgeable principals, superintendents, school board members and legislators to advance such ideas? Some of it is wishful thinking about ways to reduce expenditures in times of tight budgets. We are all under the gun to provide, as our financial director says, "high quality education at low bid costs." But many question simply stem from a lack of knowledge about how teachers and learners use library resources and what the Internet actually contains.

Digital and electronic resources are complementary.
Good teachers and librarians understand how different resources in school libraries are used for different purposes and how these resources are complimentary. In schools with active, resource-based programs, the following scenarios are commonplace:

• a student comes in for a novel, and in passing an empty computer, runs an Internet search on the book's author to see what the author may have published recently.
• a student using the library catalog to research Egypt now finds not just the books in the geography and history section, but locates books on mythology, alphabets and costumes——since a key word search turned up Egypt in the those books' annotation fields.
• a teacher finds a reference to a historical figure in the online encyclopedia, and now checks out a print biography.
• a student doing research on a country in a print atlas uses GoogleEarth to create his report.
• a teacher, having stirred the curiosity of his class with the video on plate tectonics, now wants a Webquest created on the topic.
• a class doing research on diseases scatters——some students head to the print reference sources, some to the Internet terminals, and some to the multimedia lab since no single source can accommodate all the learners in the class and each resource contains unique information.

Adding technology to a library is like a shopping mall adding a new store——all the stores get more traffic and higher sales. Experienced teachers and librarians know that it takes technology and print together to create the richest learning experiences possible. This will be the case for some time. Humans are not given to simply replacing old technologies with new ones. Television did not replace either radio or motion pictures. Video photography has not replaced still photography. Computers will not replace books.

One reason this assertion can be confidently made is that print and electronic resources each have their own strengths. As Walt Crawford states succinctly, "A book is the best way for me to communicate a fairly lengthy and complex narrative discussion." It's also the best way for a reader to encounter such a discussion. Even most die-hard technology lovers will admit to printing hard copies of a documents much longer than a page, since today's monitors are just plain hard on the eyes and e-books are still costly and use proprietary file formats. The cost savings supposedly gained by having library users read information from the computer screen quickly evaporates when every reader starts printing out lengthy texts. It may not be high tech, but print resources on a cost-per-user basis are dirt cheap.

The all digital library is not about to happen.
Budget-makers who wistfully believe the end of having to lay out cash for information on paper is in sight really need to read Crawford and Gorman's Future Libraries: Dreams, Madness & Reality if they hope to make fiscally responsible decisions about obtaining information resources for schools. These two electronic information experts patiently debunk the claims of an all-digital information future - at least for the foreseeable future. Their conclusions include:

• the use of books, magazines and newspapers is not in decline, but actually growing
• monitors that are as easy to read as a printed page have not yet been invented
• there is no such thing as a "free" Internet or and computing isn't really getting less expensive

Large scale digital conversion projects like Google's Scan the Book project are running into copyright restrictions.

The all-digital library is still in the future and is likely to remain so for some time.

Both print and electronic resources have their strengths.
Remember as well that when using books and magazines, our student researchers are usually getting carefully edited and verified information. Unlike the Internet where anyone can (and does) present credible looking material, publishing houses go to great lengths to protect their reputations by ensuring their writers are expert and authoritative. The cost of print includes not just the paper, ink, and cover, but careful editing, including fact checking. Joey Rodgers, Executive Director of the Urban Library Council, proposes that a sign be hung over library books shelves that reads "Carefully Selected by Professionals," and that a sign be displayed by the Internet terminal that simply reads "Whatever."

Electronic resources, including the Internet, certainly have their place. Both my students and I love digital indexes and the multimedia features of online encyclopedias and other reference materials. Ephemeral, date critical information can only be found on the web. E-mail and social networks are the most efficient means to tap into the wonderful primary sources called human experts. And the Internet provides an interactive medium in which students can produce and communicate ideas, not just gather those of other writers.

Don't take away either my electronic resources or my books. Both are needed to provide students with information of both currency and depth. And keep in mind that a true library program is not simply a collection of any kind of materials——print or electronic. It is a vital combination of resources, curriculum, activities, and professional expertise that help students acquire not just information, but the skills and judgment to make good use of that information.

Crawford, W. and M. Gorman. Future Libraries: Dreams, Madness and Reality.  Chicago: ALA Editions, 1995.

Budgeting for Mean, Lean Times Part 1

1. I know I have an ethical obligation to submit a budget even if it has not been requested or the chances of it being fully funded are slim.

ALA Library Code of Ethics Statement I: We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests.

It is ethically irresponsible not to have a budget. Too often we confuse having a budget with having a fully funded budget. Every library needs to have a written, goal-oriented, specific proposed budget. If students are to have access to the resources necessary for an effective educational program, all school librarians must accurately inform decision-makers the cost of those resources. The greater outlays necessary for technology in schools, among other things, makes this more critical than ever.

As informational resources become available in both in print and digitally, we need to carefully appraise which format best suits curricular purposes and our budgets. Collection development strategies are more important than ever as our scarce resources need to be stretched to cover ever higher demands. Materials purchased “just in case” or for a “well-rounded collection” that remain untouched by human hands are not just unwisely, but unethically, acquired.

No matter how poor a district may be, odds are that it has at least one exemplary, well-funded program. Maybe it’s science, maybe it’s the debate team, or maybe it’s girls’ tennis. It may as well be the library/technology program. By following some good budgetary practices and a few backyard political strategies, it is not only possible but probable that a librarian can make his or her program the district’s shining star.

Good budgeting is your responsibility.
Building librarians play a increasingly large role in determining the funding for their programs as school districts move toward decentralization of administration. As funds are given to buildings, site teams will determine staffing and resources. District media supervisors, superintendents, and even principals will have less ability to support or protect programs.

A good budget can increase the effectiveness of your program even if the effort does not result in increased funds.
As much as I hate sounding like a conservative pundit, I have to say more money is not always the answer to better services to staff and students. A good budget requires planning, prioritizing, and accountability. When those things are done, better programming is the result - even without an increase in funds.

Budgeting for Mean, Lean Times

I was somewhat taken aback by Joyce Valenza's post from a few days ago called "On Belt Tightening" - about how her school's budget problems are impacting her library program. My impression has always been that money has been less of a concern in her suburban Philadephia school than it is for most of us. If the poor economy is even catching up with Joycie, the rest of us are in real trouble.

I don't remember any time during my 30+ year career in education when funding has not been a concern as either a librarian or a technology director.* In the early '90s things were tough enough here in Minnesota that I wrote an article called Budgeting for Lean Mean Times. (MultiMedia Schools, Nov/Dec 1995).

Given the current sad (and worsening) state of most schools' funding**, I thought it might be helpful to dig out and brush off some budgeting tips that worked for me. Over the next few days, I'll be posting on:

I know I have an ethical obligation to submit a budget even if it has not been requested or the chances of it being fully funded are slim.

I can counter the argument that the free Internet will not replace libraries, books and purchased online information sources.

I understand the concept that school district budgets are a “zero sum” game.

I can describe the “consequences” of an under-funded budget in concrete terms.

I can write an outcome driven budget that is specific in supporting curricular and school improvement goals

I know a variety of sources for budget dollars and who controls those dollars

I can list the areas for which I need to budget.

I can create a maintenance budget.

I report to budget decision-makers how past budget dollars have been spent

I know how an advisory committee can help build budget support.

I know the importance of serving in school, professional and political organization leadership roles.

I can use technology to improve my budgeting and communication skills.

Lucky you.

If any of these suggestions results in a surplus of dollars for your program, send some my way. Thanks.

*Well, except for the five years I worked for ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia. The king's oil revenues supported those schools quite handsomely.

** Much of this is due to the poor revenue situations most states find themselves in. Except for North Dakota. It's state surpluses continue to grow. So here's my question: Why does Minnesota have a National Guard if it can't be used to take over North Dakota's oil fields???