Allocating Academic Library Budgets: Adapting Historical Data Models at One University Library

Many academic libraries have traditionally used complicated budget allocation models to inform funding for materials purchased in support of curriculum. When these formulas are applied, librarians usually temper the results with historical spending patterns. A small university library found that historical spending patterns can be used for budget allocation, yielding allocations similar to those derived from a complex formula. As part of the collection evaluation procedure described, the effectiveness of historical data allocations should be assessed annually by checking use of ordered materials. The effectiveness of allocations also can be supported by the use of proportional use statistics for departmental subject areas. The procedures and practices described in this article would be useful for university/college libraries of similar size to the Stetson University library, the library described in the article.     

PBA: Percentage Based Allocation for acquisitions: A simplified method for the allocation of the library materials budget

A simplified approach to the allocation of the library materials budget is proposed that is based on the formula allocations to universities by their fiscal governing bodies. Theoretically, this approach reflects most of the elements of previously proposed formulas, although in an indirect way. The validity of this method is discussed in the context of certain assumptions, along with its advantages and disadvantages. This method would be most applicable where audiovisual materials and books are combined in one budget, such as in a community college or learning resource center.     

Fund allocation formula analysis: Determining elements for best practices in libraries

The purpose of this study was to determine whether common elements in fund allocation formulas could be used to articulate “best practices” for fund allocations in academic libraries. Methodology involved a meta-analysis of published articles and Internet sites in which 75 fund allocation formulas were presented. Of the 75 formulas, 28 usable examples were analyzed to determine if there were any statistically significant elements within these formulas that could be identified, as well as to determine the degree of correlation for each component identified in the usable set. Findings are presented in this article, as well as implications for further research.     

The Q formula: The flexible formula for library acquisitions in relation to the FTE driven formula

The purpose of this article is to identify the variables involved in the construction or selection of a formula to allocate library acquisitions funds to colleges and departments in a university; to summarize some of the key administrative issues relating to formula allocation, such as who should do the allocating, how the allocations should be determined, and the amount of the total acquisitions budget that should be allocated; and to present examples of both a working and a theoretical formula. A case study of a medium-sized university (Youngstown State University) where a committee of faculty and students have allocated the acquisitions budget using an FTE (full-time equivalent) driven formula successfully for several years is examined. A Q formula, incorporating most known variables plus productivity in disciplines and average cost per title in each discipline, is also suggested as an alternative formula. This approach would be most applicable in four-year colleges or medium-sized universities. Comments on the problems of the realities of applying formula-generated budgets and their relationship to collection development are given by Susan Jacobson, Acquisitions Librarian, and Carol Wall, Public Services Librarian.     

The acquisitions allocation formula at Ohio University

The allocations formula at Ohio University has guided the allocation of increased acquisitions funding to academic disciplines since 1979. It is derived from a 50-50 division between supply (the cost of materials within a particular academic area) and demand (circulation, interlibrary loan borrowing, student enrollments, and faculty). The use and rationale for a formula are generally described, accompanied by a history of the development and revision of such a formula at one institution. Highlighting intra-institutional politics, the formula has channeled faculty dissatisfactions away from complaints about the funding level for one discipline vis-à-vis another to a concern for increasing the overall acquisitions budget.     

Materials budget allocation: A formula fitness review

This paper describes a formula fitness review project at a top college library. It was discovered that the collection policy was very outdated and the allocation formula was no longer a good fit. Calculations had become arbitrary expressions of years of ad hoc annual adjustments. Although the formula was supposed to support multiobjective allocation decisions, this was not actually happening in an unambiguous fashion. Formula decomposition, formula simplification and multiattribute utility theory suggest that a change from the traditional allocation formulas–including abandoning aggregate topical allocations and FTE—despite the popularity of these variables–is probably in order.     

Allocation formulas in practice

The literature has, over the years, been represented by a number of contributions dealing with allocation formulas in academic libraries. Previous studies have shown that a majority of libraries made use of formulas. The present study focuses on the proportion of libraries using formulas for resource allocation now, characteristics of the institutions with which those libraries are affiliated, and the composition of the formulas. Relatively few variables are widely used, but the weightings and relationships among variables differ considerably from formula to formula. Examples of some formulas currently in use are presented.     

The development and application of a unique percentage-based allocations formula at the University of Windsor

This article summarizes the literature concerning allocation formulas and outlines the development and application of a percentage-based allocation formula as part of the monograph budget at the University of Windsor. It outlines the elements of the formula, the rationale for selecting those elements and a review of the allocation formula after the first year of implementation. Unique to our formula are two elements: we selected to use the actual book price paid and to use circulation data from the actual book funds.     

高校图书馆资源联合共享的学科发展热点推荐平台研究

高校图书馆与公共图书馆最大的区别在于其主要为本校的学科建设和科研工作服务,所以其在资源配置和服务提供方面会偏重于本校的强势学科。正是因为地域、学科和研究重点的不同,使得全国高校图书馆的学术资源不尽相同,各有特色。本文旨在研究一个学科发展热点推荐平台,针对不同学科形成不同的高校图书馆学术联合体,每个学科以本学科实力强的图书馆来牵头,逐渐形成学科门类复杂,热点信息准确的推送平台,帮助高校教师和科研人员更快更好地掌握学科研究热点和前沿信息。     

图书情报与档案管理学科品牌化框架构建研究——纪念中国图书情报与档案管理教育创立100周年

[目的/意义] 针对当前图书情报与档案管理学科的竞争力相对较弱、学科发展无法适应技术变革下的经济社会发展需求等问题，图书情报与档案管理学科有必要开展品牌化建设，通过明确自身学科定位、挖掘学科优势和价值、提高学科知名度和吸引力，进一步增强学科内部的认同感与凝聚力，促进学科的长足发展。[方法/过程] 基于品牌管理理论，深入探讨学科品牌化对图书情报与档案管理学科发展的价值与意义，并结合学科发展问题的剖析展开图书情报与档案管理学科品牌化框架的构建。[结果/结论] 研究结果表明，构建图书情报与档案管理学科品牌化的基本框架，明确学科品牌化的核心要素、参与主体及主要突破点，可以为图书情报与档案管理学科品牌化发展提供参考。     

Book Budget Formula Allocations

This essay attempts to organize the periodical literature of book budget formula allocations in the academic library setting. Topics covered include; studies in which the impact of faculty book selection, in terms of circulation, and faculty selection behavior are examined; theoretical literature in terms of issues and formula development; and studies in which actual practices are reported.     

学科化服务:研究型大学图书馆学习共享空间服务的新领域

学习共享空间的构建为研究型大学图书馆开展学科化服务提供了重要契机。本文从研究性大学、图书馆、学习共享空间、学科化服务四维关系出发,探讨学习共享空间环境中,学科化服务的实现途径、网络平台及服务条件,明确指出学科化服务为研究性大学图书馆学习共享空间服务的新领域。     

Contrasting Usage of Web-Based Library Services among Postgraduate Students by Type of University within Malaysia

This article aims to describe the differences between research-focused and teaching-focused (non-research) universities in terms of usage of web-based library services, as discovered by way of questionnaires and statistical analyses. It was found that the type of university within the country of Malaysia correlates to significant differences in usage of e-journals and Web-based library services in general. Factors such as library budget allocations, research productivity, and extrinsic motivations for using Web-based library services are surmised to have influenced the usage. The results also suggest that library programs at both types of universities are ineffective in creating awareness of the services. This article discusses several aspects of usage in both types of university and makes several suggestions to remedy identified problems.     

从边缘到中心：信息管理研究的学科范型嬗变

学科范型的嬗变存在内在理路和外在理路两个路径.从内在理路看,欧美信息管理学科的发展走的是模拟"社会学"等实证社会学科的路径,中国走的是模拟"历史学"的路径.从外在理路看,经济全球化、社会信息化和信息技术的发展给信息管理领域学科范型的转变提供了极好的机遇.学科范型转变的内在理路与外在理路并不可以截然分开,外在理路往往需要通过内在理路起作用,学术共同体的数量与质量是决定内在理路能否顺利发展的关键.学科制度本身也是一个学术共同体再生产的机制,如果学术共同体觉得学科范型的转变危及自身的生存,不管是外在理路还是内在理路都会遇到学术共同体的阻断.目前,信息管理领域情报学的一支独秀,已经危及到图书馆学、档案学的生存,这些学科在情报学化的同时,也在酝酿新的发展方向,统一的信息管理学的诞生还有待时日.     

Theory talk in the library science scholarly literature: An exploratory analysis

In the discipline of library and information science (LIS), a qualitative analysis of the meaningful use of theory in contemporary scholarly literature is critical to helping scholars expand their repertoire of knowledge about various theories and helping them make informed decisions about how to skillfully integrate theory in their research. This study explored how theory was presented and talked about in seven prominent library science-focused journals from 2009 to 2011. Through a process of analytic induction, categories representing a continuum of theory talk were identified and their relationships examined. Three main types of theory talk in library research are defined, ranging from minimal (theory dropping), moderate (theory conversation), to major (theory generation). The categories and their relationships generate a rich discussion about the intensity and degree to which theory is being discussed and used in a less-examined subset of library and information science research journals. This research contributes both an explanatory structure and substantive discussion regarding theory use in library science to the professional literature.     

An Interdepartmental Allocation Formula for the Maximization of Use of Library Materials

A recent contribution by T. J. Pierce proposed that a rational objective for a library is the maximization of use of library materials. The formula proposed by Pierce, however, is not a solution to the use-maximization problem. This note specifies the use-maximization problem in terms of concepts employed by W. E. McGrath and T. J. Pierce in their work on allocation. The problem is then solved to produce the allocation formula that maximizes use of materials. Finally, the feasibility of applying the formula is briefly discussed.     

Adapting to Scarcity: Developing an Integrated Allocation Formula

Rising costs for library materials and shrinking budgets make it more necessary than ever for academic libraries to target their scarce resources to meet the specific needs of academic programs. The authors surveyed other institutions to determine current practices in the allocation of library materials funds in different formats. The results of our survey were inconclusive, which led us to combine monographs and continuations in a single allocation formula. By crafting an allocation formula for both monographs and continuations in print and electronic format, the Cunningham Memorial Library at Indiana State University hopes to satisfy the growing demand for information services.     

Supporting Indigenous Studies Programs Through Sustainable Budget Allocation

ABSTRACT

This study assesses acquisitions budget allocation for sustainable support of Indigenous Studies (IS) and the challenge of addressing the needs of an emergent subject area. A survey of collections librarians provided context for library allocation practices of other Canadian institutions offering IS programs. An analysis of titles purchased before and after creating an IS subject fund was performed; results reveal that there was an increase in the number of IS titles purchased annually after the fund was created. A defined subject fund allowed flexibility beyond conventional library collections structures to address the unique needs of IS as an academic discipline.