Skip to main content

3 Questions on Academic Library Spending to the Scholar Who Wrote the Book on University Budgets

Blog: 
Learning Innovation

Professor Andrew Comrie reached out after reading my piece, How Do Academic Libraries Spend Their Money? In his book, Like Nobody's Business: An Insider's Guide to How US University Finances Really Work (Open Book Publishers, 2021), Andrew digs into academic library budgeting.

I asked if Andrew would be willing to synthesize some of his findings in this space, and he graciously agreed.

Q1:  Overall, how do academic libraries allocate their budgets? What are some of the trends related to academic library spending that a student of higher education should understand?

Based on IPEDS data, university library budgets are apportioned quite consistently, with roughly 60 percent going to personnel and operations and the other approximately 40% going to acquiring resource materials. About three-quarters of the materials budget goes to ongoing subscriptions, the bulk of which are scholarly journals, while the other quarter is spent on one-time acquisitions, such as new books. The budget challenge for libraries is that while their budgets have roughly kept pace with general inflation (at least at bigger institutions but less so at smaller ones), their subscription costs have seen much steeper increases for decades.

Q2: Can you help us understand academic library budgets within the broader context of university budgets?  How is the story of institutional spending on libraries changing?

Library expenditures as a percent of the overall university budget have seen a remarkably steady decrease to less than half of what they were in the 1980s, about 3.5% then versus about 1.5% in 2017. Bear in mind that other education-related priorities of the university have also shifted in importance over that time, most significantly the share spent on student success. Of course, the internet has led to massive changes in information accessibility and the everyday role of the library. Many libraries have also freed up physical space with the shift to digital resources, with some space converted into study areas and special classrooms. When library deans talk to provosts about their budget, all these topics may come up, but I’d be surprised if subscription costs are not the most commonly discussed issue.

Q3: Does the academic library financial story mirror the broader higher education narrative of inequality, stratification, and concentrated wealth? In other words, are some academic libraries highly privileged from a financial standpoint, where the majority are struggling?  Or is there a different way to make sense of the academic library and resources story?

The short answer is probably yes – as goes the university’s overall resources, so goes the budget for most of its units, including the library. It is possible that library deans or the Association of College and Research Libraries know of a study aimed at exactly this issue. I think the broader issues surrounding the evolving role of the university library are also important, and, for example, they will be seen quite differently at an elite private research university versus a small to medium public comprehensive campus.

Show on Jobs site: 
Disable left side advertisement?: 
Is this diversity newsletter?: 
Is this Career Advice newsletter?: 
Advice Newsletter publication dates: 
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Diversity Newsletter publication date: 
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Trending: 


Udimi - Buy Solo Ads from Inside Higher Ed https://ift.tt/9vIF0xa
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Author discusses book on grad school

Graduate school is a great mystery to students, and to some faculty members, says Jessica McCrory Calarco, the author of A Field Guide to Grad School: Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum (Princeton University Press). Calarco is an associate professor of sociology at Indiana University. She believes many faculty members (as well as graduate students, of course) will benefit from her book. She responded to questions via email. Q: How did you get the idea to write this book? Why did the issue speak to you? A: This book started as a tweet . Or, rather, as a series of tweets about the hidden curriculum of higher ed. Ph.D. student Kristen K. Smith had tweeted about the need to better educate undergrads about grad school opportunities, and it made me think about how opportunities in academe are often hidden from grad students, as well. Reflecting on my own experiences in grad school, I thought about the many times I'd found myself embarrassed because of what I didn't know -- the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tips and Strategies for Remote Learning (March 2020)

For the past four weeks, starting two weeks before our Spring Break last week, teachers, administrators and staff at our school have been preparing for “remote school” for students as a result of the coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis. On March 19, 2020, our Head of School sent out a letter to our parents including information about our remote learning plans and FAQs for parents . If your school is currently preparing for remote learning ( as all Oklahoma public school districts now appear to be , pending tomorrow’s state school board meeting vote) I encourage you to review these publicly shared documents and information. As our school’s “Technology Integration and Innovation Specialist” this year, I’ve been building an instructional site for our teachers to support remote learning, on support.casady.org , which is openly licensed CC-BY . This collaborative effort with many other teachers and members of our school staff has provided a good opportunity to curate as well as present instruc...
Post a Comment
Read more

5 Tips for Embracing Outdoor Learning in Any Setting

In a year when all schools look different from usual, some teachers are embracing the outdoors as their classroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention included outdoor learning in recommended strategies for schools to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and research has shown positive instructional outcomes from such methods. Long-time outdoor educators also tout the social and emotional benefits . But getting started can feel daunting. Below are five tips from experienced teachers for trying outdoor learning in any setting. Look for possibilities in different spaces Becky Schnekser is teaching K-5 science fully outdoors this year at a private school in Virginia Beach. She has the advantage of a well developed outdoor classroom, but that’s not a prerequisite. “Any outdoor space is an opportunity, whether you have a beautiful wooded area or you have concrete jungle,” she said. From sidewalk math to history walks to socially distanced singing , educators are finding wa...
Post a Comment
Read more