___________________________________________________________________________

December 1, 2013






Theoretical Budget Cut of 15% for
Columbia County Rural Library


Presented by Christine Jones, Dan Brower, and Meggan Luszcak
for
LI855XR Collection Development & Management Fall 2013





ABSTRACT
The Columbia County Rural Library District is in need of a 15% budget cut to their
collections. The authors have devised a three part plan to lower the collection budget by $7,500
annually by lowering the holds ration, decreasing print expenditures, and cutting
OneClickDigital, a duplicate e-audiobooks resource. With these three budgetary changes, the
library is well under the 15% budget cut, which allows them some flexibility in other parts of the
collection (i.e., increasing OverDrive materials, buying some duplicate titles if they are
absolutely needed, and a small window for increasing print expenditures if they are also
absolutely needed).



Contents
ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................. 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 4
INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Background & Demographics ............................................................................................................... 4
Objectives.............................................................................................................................................. 5
HOLDS RATIO ............................................................................................................................................ 7
DECREASE PRINT EXPENDITURES BY INCREASING IINTERLIBRARY LOANS ............................................... 9
CANCELING ONCELICKDIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION ....................................................................................... 10
CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................... 10
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................ 12




EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Most numbers and statistics included in this report are drawn from the annual survey
conducted by the Institute of Museum and Library Science dated 2011. Using these numbers,
along with data from the librarys website the authors of this report could offer a suggested
budgetary cut totaling over 15%. As the authors did not have full access to the library's complete
budget, database usage statistics and other pertinent information some aspects had to be
estimated or extrapolated from the data included in this report. The following report includes
specific suggestions for decreasing the budget of the Columbia County Rural Library (CCRL)
budget by 15%.

INTRODUCTION
Background & Demographics
The Columbia County Rural Librarys single branch is located in the rural city of Dayton
in southeast Washington. Daytons population is slightly under 2,500 and has been decreasing
slightly since 1990 according to the United States Census Bureau. Though the library is located
in Dayton it serves the entirety of Columbia County which consists of 874 square miles and a
population of just under 4,000 people.
The United States Census Bureau states that Columbia County is a primarily White
community (92%), with the next largest population being Native American (1.4%). Roughly 3%
of the population speaks another language than English within the household. Only 18% of the
population has an education higher than high school, though over 85% has graduated high
school. The median household income is a little over $44,000 dollars a year.
According to their Collection Development Policy (p.3) the mission of the Columbia
County Rural Library is:
Meet the diverse needs, interests, values and reading abilities of patrons
Provide physical and virtual access to information freely
Protect intellectual freedom and not promote a biased point of view in materials that are
made available to patrons
Limit materials that are not suitable or of interest to the community
Help parents and children to choose appropriate materials from the collection while not
making choices for the patrons
Materials will meet educational, informational and recreational needs and will be
provided in various formats to meet patron needs
Provide resource sharing to expand availability of resources to patrons
Objectives
The goal of this exercise is to reduce the collection expenditures of the Columbia County
Rural Library by 15% using reasonable judgments and taking into account the librarys populous
demographic, mission, and outlook.
The following table shows data pulled from Institute of Museum and Library Science to
show the current status (or as current as the authors could find) of the librarys collection budget.



Table 1.1 Current Collection Data for Columbia County Rural Library


2011 Data from Institute of Museum
and Library Science
2012 Data from CCRL
Annual Report
Total Revenue $265,773


Total Expenditures $54,450


Print Expenditures $37,436


Digital Expenditures $7,553


Print & Digital Collection
Expenditures
$44,989


Total Items in Collection


26,621
Items Added to Collection
(2012)


3,618
ILL Received 555


ILL Sent 72


Annual Circulation 28,336


Childrens Circulation


11,452
Adult & Teen Circulation


18,192
eBook & eAudiobook
Circulation


2,522
Licensed Databases 26


Database Usage


582
Computer Usage


6,368
Print Serial Subscriptions 45


Audio Materials 1513


Video Materials 1359


Hold Ratio 4:1



The above data is the primary basis from what the authors based the 15% budgetary cut
from. With their collection budget currently sitting at $44,989, the total amount the authors are
reaching to cut is $6,748. We plan to raise the hold ratio, increase Interlibrary Loan volume, limit
audio download subscriptions and reduce print material purchases.

HOLDS RATIO
Among other considerations the selection criteria of library materials in the Collection
Development Policy states that materials will meet at least one of the following criteria (p. 4):
Public demand
Need for information
Contribute to diversity, balance diversity, sustain reading level
Availability of use in other libraries
Space and budgetary limitations
The current hold ratio for the Columbia County Rural Library is 4:1 (See Table 1.1). By
increasing the holds ratio to 5:1 or reducing the number of multiple copies of titles, the money
spent on new bestsellers will decrease by about $600 annually. The exact monetary value for
raising the holds ratio could not be determined, but the authors came to a rough and reasonable
estimate. The process for reaching this number is outlined below:
According to the 2012 Annual Report put out by the library, the library added 3,618
items to their collection the previous year.
The authors had to infer that this is the number for print, audio, and video materials
The authors also had to infer that this translated to roughly 301 items a month.
Of those 301 items, the authors estimated that 5 high demand authors putting out roughly
4 books a year would be considered popular enough titles to purchase more than one
copy.
If titles average $30 each, the library will save $600 over the course of the year.
Though this is a small savings, the authors concluded that a 4:1 holds ratio was high for a small,
singular library and could benefit monetarily by reducing the amount of duplicate volumes
within the library.
It was also considered by the authors that the Donations Policy (2013) and Volunteer
Policy (2009) could be updated or adapted to include that materials donated that are popular or
could benefit the librarys collection could be sorted through by Volunteers to supplements holds
and holes in the collection. Donations could also be utilized to replace any new materials that
have a status of Lost or Damaged within the collection.
DECREASE PRINT EXPENDITURES BY INCREASING IINTERLIBRARY LOANS
It has been determined that increasing the volume of Interlibrary Loans to the Columbia
County Rural Library would justify decreasing print expenditures. Washington State libraries are
able to participate in the Washington State Librarys resource sharing for free. This can provide
the library the opportunity to lower their expenditure on more obscure print materials and
promote and market their Interlibrary Loan program.
Columbia County Rural Library was recently been awarded the Connecting Libraries
through Resource Sharing, a federal grant that helps public libraries improve their resource
sharing capabilities. Columbia County Rural Library was also awarded the eREADS in eWA
grant. The eREADS in eWA grant is another effort to increase resource sharing. This grant was
awarded to five libraries in the same region as the Columbia County Rural library, the six
libraries are working together to purchase e-readers that will shared between the library systems.
The e-readers will be preloaded with books and there will be 2 e-readers available at each of the
six libraries. The goal of the eREADS in eWA grant is to expand access and device sharing in
Eastern Washington State. The awards of these grants will help ease the financial burden on the
Columbia County Rural Library and increase their resource sharing capabilities.
Utilizing the state resource sharing program and expanded resource sharing through the
grants the Columbia County Rural Library were awarded the library can safely justify reducing
the number of print materials purchased. Using the same breakdown of materials of 301
materials a month, and at $30 a print title, the authors felt it was reasonable to cut up to 15 print
titles a month. This equates to a savings of $450 a month and on a yearly basis, the library would
save $5,400. The titles not purchased could then be Interlibrary Loaned from other libraries
within the state.
CANCELING ONCELICKDIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION
The remote location of the library was considered when deciding what budget cuts could
be justified. Digital resources are becoming increasing more important to people in rural
communities because patrons often have a difficult time visiting the physical library as often as
they would like to. When reviewing the digital subscriptions it was discovered that the Columbia
County Rural Library had two digital subscriptions. The Columbia County Rural Library District
is currently paying for OverDrive, of which they are sharing the cost and collection within a
consortium called Washington Anytime Library. They are also paying a subscription to
OneClickDigital through the company Recorded Books. Though the selection of e-audio
materials does seem better through OneClickDigital, due to the budget cut, it is recommended
that the library drop OneClickDigital. The consortium OverDrive program offers book e-books
and e-audiobooks, and the cost is lower due to the co-op sharing.
Through the Washington State Library (2013), Washington libraries get the setup fee
waived for OneClickDigital, and all out of pocket expenses beyond $1,500 are picked up by the
State. So by cutting OneClickDigital, we can save roughly $1,500 on an annual basis.

CONCLUSION
While conducting the exercise of reducing the annual expenditures of the Columbia
County Rural Library by 15% authors took many factors into consideration. The demographics
of the local population were examined to try to determine the needs of the patrons. The
geographical location of the library was also considered and how different budgetary cuts would
affect patrons. Ultimately the authors determined that cutting excess spending would be most
beneficial to patrons of the Columbia County Rural Library.
Table 1.2 Suggested Budgetary Cuts for Columbia County Rural Library Based on 2011 Data
from Institute of Museum and Library Science


Current Expenditures Suggested Cost Reduction
Collection Budget $44,989 $7,500
Increasing Holds Ratio
Currently 4:1, recommending
increase to 5:1
$600
Decrease Print
Expenditures
37,436 in print titles $5,400
OneClickDigital ~1,500 $1,500





REFERENCES
Columbia County Rural Library. (2013). Columbia County Rural Library District - CCRLD -
library info: annual reports. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/index.php/annual-reports
Columbia County Rural Library District. (2011). Circulation policy. Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/images/documents/policies/CCRLD_Circulation_Policy_revi
sed_Aug._15_2011.pdf
Columbia County Rural Library District (2013, January 21). Collection development policy.
Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/images/documents/policies/CCRLD_Collection_Developmen
t_Policy_revised_January_21_2013.pdf
Columbia County Rural Library (2012). Columbia County Rural Library District - Rural
libraries to circulate eBook readers, thanks to grant! Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/index.php/component/content/article/2/210
Columbia County Rural Library District (2012). eREADS in eWashington policies & procedures.
Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/images/documents/policies/CCRLD_eREADS_in_eWashingt
on_policy_and_agreement.pdf
Columbia County Rural Library (2009). Volunteer policy. Retrieved from
http://www.ccrld.lib.wa.us/images/documents/policies/CCRLD_Volunteer_Policy.pdf
Institute of Museum and Library Services (2012). IMLS - find public libraries. Retrieved from
https://harvester.census.gov/imls/search/Library_Detail.asp?ID=WA0075&ThisType=L
S&LibraryName=columbia%20county%20rural%20library%20district&LibraryID=&A
ddress=111%20s%203rd%20st&City=dayton&State=WA&Zip=99328&Distance=&Co
unty=&PhoneAreaCode=&Phone=&ResultSetNumber=1&LibTypes=LS%2CCE%2CB
R%2CBS%2CBM&StateSelectedIndex=48&procqstr=1
WA State Library (2013). How to Join. Retrieved from
http://www.sos.wa.gov/library/eaudiobooks/libraries/HowToJoin.aspx