The Bottom Line: Volume 24 Issue 1

Hedge your budget risk through service increases

The purpose of this paper is to describe a case at the University of St Francis (USF), where common fears and, in some cases, harsh realities of library budget reductions can be…

Maximizing an economic recession through strategic organizational repositioning

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the possibilities for strategically and politically repositioning a library, despite economic hardships, for stronger relations with…

Data‐driven budget reductions: a case study

The purpose of this paper is to describe how a medium‐sized university library implemented activity‐based costing (ABC) and other broad‐based decision‐making strategies to make…

Easy ways to save money during and after library construction

The purpose of this paper is to offer advice, in the interest of preventing expensive mistakes, about certain aspects of library building projects.

Directing the personnel search part II: notes on contacting applicants

This purpose of this paper is to expound on what makes for solid contacts with applicants.

The interview process and beyond

This column is designed to address library personnel issues. This particular installment seeks to discuss preparation for interviews, the interview process, and appropriate…

Internal and external landscapes: myths and communicating financial focus

The purpose of this paper is to expose the multiplicity of landscapes involved with making and communicating strategic financial decisions for libraries.

Best practices from a library cat

The purpose of this paper is to encourage substantive personal interaction with public library patrons.

Mentoring in tough financial times

This paper aims to discuss the importance of great mentoring to those with financial responsibilities during tough economic times.

Delegation at the macro level: library IT, spheres of influence, and the promise of cloudware

The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of budget cuts on libraries' ability to continue to maintain labor‐intensive IT maintenance on multiple systems.

Paperless society? What a load of scrap

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel.

Re‐thinking positions in academic libraries

Librarians in the twenty‐first century require different skills from their predecessors. The purpose of this paper is to examine what those skills are and how they correlate with…

Budget allocation formulas: magic or illusion?

Budget allocation formulas claim objectivity, and hence fairness. But factors composing the formula are limited to supply, demand, and cost. Attempts to correct for this imbalance…

Cost‐benefit analysis: examples

This paper seeks to point outs that, when managing strategically, a library administrator might want to use cost‐benefit analysis to prudently spend money and, consequently, would…

Outsourcing as a change management tool in libraries and documentation centers

Outsourcing is a tool that has been used in companies for decades. However, it has taken much longer for this tool to be implemented in libraries and documentation centers…

A new company descriptor takes us into a new era