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How do you defend your library budget?

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As a library professional, you know how important it is to have a well-funded and sustainable library that can serve your community's needs. But how do you convince your stakeholders, such as local government, donors, or grant-makers, that your library deserves their support? Here are some tips on how to defend your library budget and demonstrate your value and impact.

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1 Know your audience

Before you prepare your budget proposal or presentation, you need to research and understand your audience. Who are they, what are their priorities, what are their pain points, and what are their expectations? How do they perceive your library and its services? What kind of language and format do they prefer? By knowing your audience, you can tailor your message and tone to appeal to their interests and concerns, and avoid any potential misunderstandings or objections.

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Pick out impactful statistics: number of daily, weekly, monthly, annual patrons; circulation of physical and electronic materials; reshelving of materials; use of other social services that are housed in your library. Tie your library to your community through coordinating your collections with school assignments, local events, local social issues to demonstrate that your library is relevant to what matters.

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2 Tell your story

One of the most effective ways to defend your library budget is to tell your story. This means highlighting your library's mission, vision, and goals, and showing how they align with your audience's values and objectives. It also means showcasing your library's achievements, successes, and outcomes, and providing evidence of your library's impact and return on investment. You can use data, statistics, testimonials, case studies, or anecdotes to illustrate your story and make it more compelling and memorable.

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Get others to tell your story. Engage teachers to ensure that available materials are tied to their assignments. Engage local activists to ensure that library exhibitions are tied to local issues of concern. When you assist people, ask them to say something positive about the library in social media.

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3 Be transparent and realistic

Another key aspect of defending your library budget is to be transparent and realistic about your financial situation and needs. You should provide clear and accurate information about your current and projected revenue and expenses, and explain how they relate to your library's strategic plan and priorities. You should also identify and justify any gaps, challenges, or opportunities that require additional funding or support, and show how they will benefit your library and your audience. You should avoid any exaggeration, ambiguity, or inconsistency that might undermine your credibility or trustworthiness.

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Personnel, materials acquisition. and building maintenance are the three largest items in any library budget. Demonstrate the effectiveness of all three. Highlight the gaps, and highlight solutions. Personnel provide the human values or patron assistance, and management. Materials acquisition costs keep going up. Materials wear out, or become outdated. A vibrant collection needs to meet the mission, and the patrons' needs. Sadly, the building will likely always be the victim of deferred maintenance. As a public building, the library is subject to high amounts of wear and tear. Neglecting the building will create a downward spiral which will diminish the facility in the near- and long-terms.

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4 Anticipate and address questions

When you defend your library budget, you should be prepared to answer any questions that your audience might have. You should anticipate the most common or likely questions, such as how you measure your library's performance, how you compare to other libraries or similar organizations, how you allocate your resources, or how you cope with changing demands or trends. You should also address any potential criticisms, objections, or risks that might affect your budget proposal or presentation, and provide solutions, alternatives, or contingency plans.

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5 Emphasize collaboration and communication

Finally, defending your library budget is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires collaboration and communication. You should maintain regular and positive contact with your stakeholders, and keep them informed and engaged about your library's activities, achievements, and challenges. You should also seek their feedback, input, and suggestions, and show appreciation and recognition for their support and contribution. By building and nurturing relationships with your stakeholders, you can increase their awareness, understanding, and advocacy of your library and its budget.

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One of the hardest things I ever told my librarians was to follow through on budgetary threats. If a program doesn't make the budget, that program should die. The librarians, though, always found a way to deliver the program anyway, which, of course, demonstrated to the purse string holders that there was never a budget crisis. Do that often enough, and the librarians become Chicken Little.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you defend your library budget?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your audience

2 Tell your story

3 Be transparent and realistic

4 Anticipate and address questions

5 Emphasize collaboration and communication

6 Here’s what else to consider

Library Services

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How do you defend your library budget?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your audience

2 Tell your story

3 Be transparent and realistic

4 Anticipate and address questions

5 Emphasize collaboration and communication

6 Here’s what else to consider

Library Services

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