Budgeting is a managerial tool used for planning and facilitating decisions about the allocation of available funds. The purpose of the budget is to express financially how the library will achieve its outcomes. As such, it must be linked to the school's priorities and plans. By keeping a detailed budget the library manager is able to clearly demonstrate the collection development policy
- To justify the allocation of funds
- To provide accountability for items of expenditure
- To set planning parameters for the school administration
- To identify priorities of the library and school
- To develop school awareness of the financial requirements of the library
top
A budget includes costs associated with:
- Collection development
- Building/furniture/equipment maintenance
- Growth in priority areas
- Administration costs of the library
- Projects e.g. automation, security system
- Whole-school site licences or subscriptions to online materials
- Some school libraries may have to include staff salaries in their budget planning
top
A good budget
- Is an ongoing process
- Includes all relevant items
- Is clear and easy to read
- Is well documented and publicised
- Ensures that forthcoming needs are clearly identified and costed
- Is fair and appropriate
In order to assess adequate funding for learning resources consider:
- The cost of replacing outdated or worn out resources and filling stock gaps
- Learning resources need to be regularly replaced in order to be relevant to the needs of the curriculum and the reading and information needs of pupils and teachers
- The importance of planning ahead and costing for ICT developments including: Internet access, CD-ROMs, online databases
- The proportion of funding required for developing new curricula areas
- The need for funding both books and non-book materials
top
- A detailed budget showing encumbered funds should be kept for all orders sent to suppliers
- The budget should show at a glance how much money has been encumbered
- The budget should also include provision for GST and the astute Library Manager will ensure that any GST paid from the library budget comes back into the library budget by liaising closely with the Bursar
- The budget should be kept as a separate document for use by the library even if the Administrative Officer is responsible for paying the orders and keeps her/his own records as it demonstrates the principles behind collection development
top
Average Price of Resources: CMIS School Library Support
top
[Previous] [Table of Contents] [Next]
Guaranteeing Futures
eCentre for Teachers