Library Transparency
“The budget is the bane of corporate America. It never should have existed…. Making a budget is an exercise in minimalization. You’re always trying to get the lowest out of people, because everyone is negotiating to get a lower number.” (Libby & Lindsay, 2003).
Offering open communication forums for libraries can be a slippery slope. Libraries want to be open to change, yet the bureaucracy of making changes can feel daunting. Should libraries have a concrete budget for specific programs, events, training, makerspace events, book clubs, etc.? Any wiggle room? In the article Lessons from Seattle’s Failed Bid to Rebrand its Public Library, Kenney (2015), Seattle Public Library surveyed the community, and patrons did not agree with what they thought to be as a wasteful expenditure of hiring an expensive firm to rebrand. It was almost too late; they had already spent $365,000, and that was on the primary costs. The Seattle Public Library received backlash due to the disconnect between the community’s needs, wants, and suggestions. In their attempts to rebrand the library, it would have cost an additional $1.7 million, equaling approximately $2 million, without considering the library staff, patrons, and the demographic that are utilizing the library’s resources. The community’s outcry was that it could have funds allocated to other programs, and the needs of the patrons via services and infrastructure. 70 % of those who were surveyed did not think a rebrand would make the library better (Kenney, 2015). Instead, the survey should have included different options for revamping the library’s image. One recommendation is to bring the patrons/community into the decision-making process. Who knows more than the patrons using the library and the staff working in the library, what is lacking, and what would bring the people into the library? An underused resource is the patrons who are utilizing the library.
How can you learn to provide a transparent environment?
- Being open to new ideas in collaboration with the community and staff
- Continuing education
- Open Communication policy
- Participating in outreach programs
- Attending Conferences
- Attending governmental meetings, such as town hall meetings
(Stephens & Casey, 2007)
The emergence of new technologies requires libraries to reallocate funds from outdated materials, subscriptions, and other materials. “Creating an information budget that allows for the financial management of all resources for scientific information is essential in fostering transparency of the financial flows from research-performing organizations to publishers” (Pampel, 2022). In these ways, libraries can add and minus budget funds by the offset of donations, sponsorships, community businesses, and vendors. Including brainstorming sessions may produce great ideas that can be implemented at your local library. With the involvement of the community in the discussions, libraries can offer resources and materials that the community would like to see in their libraries.
We need to offer a collaborative space to bring the patrons together to make libraries feel like a second home, one that provides friends, family, and community.
References
Kenney, B. (2015). Lessons from Seattle’s Failed Bid to Rebrand Its Public Library. PublishersWeekly.com. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/68666-brand-awareness-lessons-from-seattle-s-failed-bid-to-rebrand-its-public-library.html
Libby, T., & Lindsay, R. M. (2003). Part two: Budgeting–an unnecessary evil. ; Hamilton, 77(2), 8. https://www.proquest.com/docview/197764178/A74CE86BD7AF4EC5PQ/1?accountid=10361&sourcetype=Trade%20Journals
Pampel, H. (2022). From library budget to information budget: fostering transparency in the transformation towards open access. Insights into the UKSG Journal, 35. https://doi.org/10.1629/uksg.576
Stephens, M., & Casey, M. (2007). A Road Map to Transparency. https://tametheweb.com/2007/12/15/a-road-map-to-transparency/
Hi Crystal,
I agree that asking the community about what they want their library to provide is important because it helps administration make decisions as to which services they need to update, stop offering, or to add. When libraries change their programs and services, patrons do notice. The other day when I was attending a program at my local library, one of the things that people were talking about was the ‘good old days when the library had Cricut makerspace events’ which were terminated after the teen librarian retired. However, I later found our that many librarians knew how to use the makerspace but the library did not want to fund any more programs that used the cricut machines. This was because city hall, who controls the library, decided to allocate less money to the library so the library could not afford the cricut supplies. I also found out that the every year, the library’s budget continuous to shrink. Last summer reading program was awful because the prizes for adults were the same as the prizes for children. At the time, I was still an employee there and the number of complaints we received from patrons was so large. It was evident that people could tell that the library was suffering from budget cuts. People would compare 2021’s summer reading program prizes as amazing but this year’s summer reading prizes were awful. As I no longer work there anymore, I do hope that administration can push back against city hall’s budget cuts and advocate for their patrons. The patrons have noticed and now it is up to administration to represent patrons and push for more funding.
I agree, even if they partner with outside organizations. Let’s say a free swim at the city park for reading a certain number of books, or a free service that can bring patrons into various small businesses. Or volunteers who want to use the circuit machine, and can offer supervision and the opportunity to use the machine.
@ctaher and @jcrystalc library transparency is truly key to overcoming the kind of challenges described in this comment. If the library can diplomatically let their patrons know that they are facing these budget cuts and find out what the community wants and needs from their library, then they will likely gain more bargaining power with City Hall, who makes the funding decisions.
But the library as, Crystal said, has to be creative with the funds they do have. Incentives for summer reading do not always have to involve splashy prizes. Maybe the library needs to get back to basics (and its mission) to figure out why it offers programs in the first place. That said, I do think that people of all ages like when things are gamified. The library also needs to be mindful of the flavor of games it integrates into the program. We tried a reading app for our program one year and it fell flat. It was too much of a learning curve for our community for too little return for users. For my part, I’m still trying to figure out how to adapt Ann Arbor’s Summer game https://www.npr.org/2025/08/04/nx-s1-5477533/public-library-summer-game-ann-arbor-michigan for my library. I’m sure they started out small and grew it the current iteration.
Hi @jcrystalc, now that your comments are up and running I’m posting the note I already sent your way via messages.
I really like how you wrapped this up—the idea of making the library feel like a second home is powerful. Inviting patrons into budgeting and planning conversations doesn’t just make the process more transparent, it helps build that sense of belonging. When people see their voices shaping programs, services, and even how funds are used, the library becomes more than a building with books—it becomes a shared space where the community feels invested, valued, and connected.
Warmly,
Bevin