National Library Week - How Libraries Struggle

Today I have with me a great blogger and even greater librarian - Michelle from Literarily Speaking. Michelle is a fellow Illinois librarian who works in a small public library and is the only actual employee. I can't even imagine what I would do without my library aide in my elementary library nonetheless run a whole public library! And that is exactly the topic she's broaching today - how she does what she does especially in our economy.


When I became a library director about a year ago, I knew I would face some interesting challenges when it came to money. My library's population is just a hair under 1,300, and property taxes in our county steadily have been falling for years. Just this year, we received word that the State of Illinois was cutting the amount all libraries across the state would receive from the per capita grant by 15 percent -- a huge cut for a library like us.

There never seems to be enough money in libraries to keep up with the patron demand for programs, books, movies or computers. People constantly want the latest and best book hot off the presses, and sometimes providing that is a struggle for those of us who have to watch the books while choosing what gets bought and what gets passed over.

I am allowed about $8,500 annually to purchase all materials -- books, DVDs, magazines, etc. That averages out to just over $700 a month. Just $700 a month must provide new materials for all levels of readers. This means I have to make some really tough choices.

Do I buy the slick set of books on different biomes on Earth for the juvenile non-fiction section, or do I pick up the latest James Patterson and Danielle Steel books for adults? Do I give in to all the great young adult fiction out there, or do I buy some DVDs so families can have free movie nights? Do I buy books by just the authors I know people will check out, or do I try and expand their horizons and buy books by authors who aren't well-known?

It's an incredibly tough decision to make, and I often have to tell patrons that I "just didn't have the money this month" to buy every new book that came out by their favorite authors. Often, my young adult and juvenile fiction sections get sorely overlooked because there are, proportionally, a lot fewer young adults and children checking out books than there are adults. Up until New Moon was released, I hadn't purchased a DVD in months, and the last time I purchased any was at Wal-Mart at the after-Thanksgiving sales on my own dime.

The biggest way in which I try to save money on materials is by comparison shopping. I've actually found that Amazon has some of the best prices on books, better than book suppliers in a lot of cases, and they don't charge shipping fees if my order is over $25. Ordering from Amazon has saved me a lot of money, especially if I take advantage of their clearance pages, and it helps me bring in many new books.

But still, no matter how much I economize and no matter how many bargain bins I visit, sometimes, it just isn't enough, and I have to look for other ways to increase my book budget.

My library doesn't receive a lot of big donations in a year, mostly because we're in an area with a large low-income population and people just don't have the money to spare. That fact also rules out a lot of other great fundraisers, such as auctions and T-shirt sales and sponsored bookplates. People just don't have the money to spare, and honestly, I feel bad asking them for it.

One of the best methods I've found for increasing my book budget is to hold book sales. I get a lot of donations at my library, often of books that are just too old to put on the shelves or that we already have in the stacks. I also weed out books that aren't circulating as they should, and I have nearly an entire back room full of books for sale.

People love to buy books. They love to have a book to call their own, read at their leisure and then put on a shelf. Book sales are great places to increase a private collection for a lot less money than it would cost to buy the books brand new. Every book that goes out of my library at a book sale not only brings in money for the library, but also clears out some extra space.

When my library board made the difficult decision last summer to close our final remaining branch library, we needed a way to get rid of all the materials and furniture in the building quickly. In one weekend, we sold more than $8,000 worth of books and furniture to people, and the money was used to replace some outdated computer monitors and computer furniture, which many patrons have commented on since. These are things we probably never would have been able to find the money for in our regular budget, but since we held the book sale, our patrons were able to enjoy some new materials.

As readers, I know many of you frequent library book sales. I do too! Just know that, while you're increasing your TBR piles and your book stashes, you're also helping your library provide essential programs and materials for everyone to enjoy. Your librarians thank you!

Thank you Michelle for sharing more about your library and how you run it! I can't believe the budget cuts going on in Illinois - I was afraid for my job as an elementary school Librarian and am glad to still have my job. I have no idea if they cut my budget for next year though and am crossing my fingers that they won't (since I already have plans for half of it!).

Please leave a thoughtful comment below and I'll give you another entry into the giveaway for this week.