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Re: Materials budget for rural library
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Materials budget for rural library
4:12 PM EDT 10/12/06
Hello:

We are a small public library in SE MN that relies on our Friends group for part of our materials budget. I am trying to get information as to what the appropriate funding level for materials would be for our library, now and projecting into the future. If anyone can answer this question or point me to resources, I would be grateful, and am happy to provide any further info. that you might wish. Thank you.
Re: Materials budget for rural library
4:51 PM EDT 10/16/06 as a reply to Drue Fergison.
Hello and welcome to the forums! emoticon

This is a good question that doesn't apply only to small libraries. I can't give you any firtshand knowledge, but a [url http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22friends+of+the+library%22+materials+budget&btnG=Google+Search ]quick search[/url] informed me that many libraries get help with materials budgets from their Friends.

[url http://www.yorkcountyva.org/index.cfm?action=c10&id=1584 ]Friends of the York County Public Library[/url] in VA call themselves "Enhancers who raise money for library materials, equipment, facilities and programs beyond the level of the library's tax-supported budget."

Take a look at Table 1 in this [url http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6298437.html ]Library Journal article[/url]. It has some budget figures for a range of population sizes.

Can anyone give some ballpark figures for budget amounts?
Re: Materials budget for rural library
11:13 PM EDT 10/16/06 as a reply to Drue Fergison.
I would suggest this tool from NCES - Public Library Peer Comparison Tool -
http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/compare/index.asp?LibraryType=Public

Basically, this would allow you to see what other peer libraries in your region, state, or nationally are spending on materials. You could limit it on a variety of variables to fit the search to a pretty specific profile that matches your library (size of population served, budget variables, etc.)

This data is from FY2004, but most likely your state library has more up to date data if you need it.

Also, if you find any libraries that you would like to get more infomation about NCES has a "trend" snapshot for library systems but it is tricky to find.

Here are the steps - go here - http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/ - look up the library you are interested in - say Hoyt Lake Minnesota (make sure you check the "public library" selection on the right hand side) . Once you find the Hoyt Lakes SYSTEM (not branch or central library - it will have that squiggly set of orange boxes icon next to it to indicate a system), you can click on this link which will launch a pop-up window. Contained in this window is a summary of how many volumes and total circulation from 2000-2004. You could quickly see how much peer libraries have added over the past several years to give you some idea as to whether your library is keeping up and also what to think about for the future.

Hope this helps and good luck augmenting your collection - chris
Re: Materials budget for rural library
3:15 PM EST 11/8/06 as a reply to Drue Fergison.
I'm also a small public library and as impossible as it sounds we go with the 'at least' 12% of the operating budget that the library standards book requires in our state. For us that means making use of sites such as bookdepot.com, ebay, and teacher's scholastic clubs...we have very few library bound materials in our branches---but we find that in a low economic rural library that doesn't seem to be a necessity.
Re: Materials budget for rural library
7:00 PM EST 11/27/06 as a reply to dodie wessel.
That's interesting that you have few "library bound" materials. I'm not sure that, as a patron, I would even notice the difference. I would agree that what's important is to have a variety of books, no matter where they come from.

Thanks for sharing from the rural library perspective! emoticon