Budgets:
It is ethically important for libraries to have realistic budgets, even if those are not fully funded. I think that this was my biggest takeaway from this section or reading. As service providers, we have a responsibility to make our communities aware of what is possible. I think that it is important to be realistic about the amount of money a community is able to provide, but I think that it is up to the librarian to get creative with those resources.
Budgeting is a skill that, as of right now, I am terrible at. I have had to write budgets for Peace Corps projects (most of which were rejected), and I have dealt with coworkers who falsify budgets to stuff their own pockets. Budgets scare me, mostly for the responsibility involved and the pressure to make accurate predictions. I am one of the thriftiest people around (have you seen the hunk-of-junk I've been typing on this semester?) so I tend to underbudget and expect others to be as ok with dealing with it as I am (although I am learning that I am getting sick of "dealing with everything" as well (it's ok to want nice things)). I am crossing my fingers that I can get in to grant-writing next semester to help me get over my fear of collecting and spending money.
Having been on committees that read and evaluate grants, my top advice is this:
ReplyDelete1) Ask for what you need, but be sure the grant readers will understand how each thing is used. 10 iPads for a project with three workers? No way.
2) Write your grant so it clearly responds to the call for proposals. Use their words and sequence of ideas. No creative writing here!
3) Be cautious about large amounts of money in a financial breakdown (e.g., the grant I once read that had a funding line marked, "Books - $330,000"). Big unexplained lumps of cash (except for salaries) signal that we don't know what we're talking about.
4) Do not underbudget!! :)
I am currently in the grant writing class, and to add on to the advice above: make sure that all your sections of the proposal logically follow one another. (I had the hardest time creating my logic model for the proposal!)
ReplyDeleteI had the same computer since high school--just got a "new" one this last semester, and only because my old one completely crashed. So yup, I understand thriftiness, too. :)
ReplyDeleteBut, yeah, budgeting is an ethical issue. You shouldn't go beyond your budget, but you should use it all to get the most you can. We're thrifty, though, so we should be able to get a lot!
I had the same main takeaway from these readings (about budgeting being an ethical issue), mostly from Doug Johnson's blog. He had such a forceful way of explaining why, if librarians truly believe in what they do, they must make budgeting a priority and ask for the money they need.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the takeaway as well. And I hear ya about thriftiness. My husband and I are still driving around my oil-guzzling (because of a leak) slowly dying car. Well, he's driving it now..I stole his newer vehicle. But still, that thing will be with us until it clunks out on the side of the road!
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