Survivor: The Library Edition

Six years ago, I shared some strategies on managing a cutback ("Budget Shortfalls," LJ 5/15/03, p. 34–35). Now, here we are in an even more severe economic downturn. We must have viable libraries through these tough times, so we need to keep adding to our portfolio of ways to manage cutbacks. A bank of ideas ready to deploy might just make the difference in our ability to survive and serve our patrons well during this recession. With that in mind, here are some additional tips to remember.

Outreach is often one of the first services to be cut. It is so easy to eliminate such things as programs and marketing materials. But does it make sense to cut activities that help users connect to the library? When people feel a connection with something, their instinct is to protect it. This is no time for retreat. Keep up the visibility. Keep telling the library story. Keep being mentioned in the news. Keep forming strong alliances. When it comes to budget cutbacks, absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder—it just makes the library an easier target.

Also, consider having another public face in the media other than the staff. Let community members, teachers, journalists, and children tell your story. It's hard to brush off strong library supporters. Keep connecting to those who have the most powerful voice.

Can you say with clarity to those who provide you with funding that nine out of ten people want Sunday hours, or that eight out of ten want bookmobile service? Do your homework with user surveys and focus groups. Ask the staff what the users are saying. Know what your users want from the library.

Effective user input has three benefits. First, it helps give perspective on what can be cut and what should be kept. Second, it is excellent PR when users see that their input has impact. Third, the actual words of users are a powerful marketing tool that can be used in the defense of the budget. But be sure to be up-to-date: a two-year-old survey won't be valuable.

Are you are riveted to the budget environment of the library's parent organization? Understanding the organization's real budget concerns can sometimes reveal solutions.

What is the provost, the superintendent, or the mayor really saying? Know their priorities and challenges. Also, remember to distinguish between what they say and what they mean. They are caught up in a political world and sometimes resort to hyperbole deliberately to shake up the community to take action.

Constantly scanning the environment also means you are less likely to be caught by surprise. Always have plans A, B, and C at the ready for any scenario. Most important, get in there early with your ideas and your agenda. Know the priorities of your administrators, but work to help shape those priorities. Remember these words of Abraham Lincoln's: "Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle."

People who are ignorant about libraries can make some incredible statements. Too often we hear these recurring comments: "everything is on the Internet"; "no one uses libraries anymore"; "all information is electronic now anyway." If such things are said at a meeting or in writing anywhere, go after them with clear explanations and a compelling story. Myths can hurt. They can become the underlying assumptions that people rarely question, even those who make big decisions. Myths can result in more severe budget cuts. Challenge these and other myths about libraries and don't let the myths be the last word. However, be careful not to use librarian-speak when countering these myths. Use the language of the users and never forget that it is a sound bite world.

Libraries are good real estate. Either our locations are desirable or our interior spaces are desirable. Watch out for those who see an opportunity in budget shortfalls to grab hold of library space. For example, other departments in a city might be looking for more space for their staff, for consultants, or for personnel hired to work on a new grant.

First, take a good look around the library. Evaluate how vulnerable you are. Discover any spaces that look or are underused and make sure to fill them with services, collections, or patrons.

If a loss of space is inevitable, try to make it short term rather than permanent. Argue that a budget cut is temporary but that a permanent loss of space will hurt library service forever. If you have no luck with that argument, try to gain revenues from the rental or sale of the property. This is a very difficult fight, and we never want to give up too quickly.

On the other hand, this might also present an opportunity to implement needed changes. Perhaps there is a branch that has seriously underperformed for many years, for instance. Maybe now is a good time to close it and reallocate those resources elsewhere.

Not everyone in the library has been through a budget cut before. In all likelihood, those who have been may be more philosophical. Those who haven't might be more frightened—and for good reason, as junior staff are more vulnerable to layoffs in any budget cut. A person's emotional state will always have an impact on the workplace. Consider a situation in which administrators are trying to rally the troops to help plan and implement major cutbacks at the same time that everyone in the library is scared about their jobs. How likely it is that creativity and productivity—elements so vital in a change—can flourish in that environment? Fear can paralyze a workplace. In order to lead successfully, administrators must understand the emotional state of the staff and take the temperature of those emotions by listening carefully. Do not make assumptions about what people are feeling because assumptions always lead to faulty actions and decision-making.

Layoffs are the gorilla in the room. For staff, there is really only one question—will I have a job? Unfortunately, this is one of the toughest questions to answer. This is partly because often we don't know the answer and partly because we can't give any guarantees in an uncertain environment. Experience shows that staff will put up with budget cuts if they know they are still employed. It is best to acknowledge the question even if a definitive answer remains elusive. At least the staff will know that their primary concern is understood.

If at all possible, hold onto current employees. The human toll of an economic downturn is heartrending, and layoffs affect remaining staff for a long time and on many levels. Retaining current employees is a winning situation, clearly benefiting the library that maintains trained personnel, the staff who applaud the effort and have their own fears reduced, and the individuals who stay on the job.

Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said that "time is money." Most libraries have some slack in personnel time throughout the course of the year. Think about what else personnel can be doing during these times. For example, can technical services folk occasionally staff the information desk? Or can public services people sometimes do copy cataloging? Look for natural links among services to see if it makes sense to have staff working on new duties. People often enjoy learning new things that can give them future opportunities.

In this, we can take a lesson from small libraries. Staff specialization is obviously vital for libraries, and the larger the libraries are, the more specialized they become. However, in a budget crisis, we might want to think more like those who work in small libraries, where all hands are at work on a variety of tasks.

Spend some time and look very closely at the workflow throughout the library. Make sure it is running as efficiently as possible. Ask if everything has been done to maximize staff efficiency.

Remember Yogi Berra: "You can see a lot just by looking."

Sometimes, after a few years of reductions, we get too close to the problems. Try to pull back from the parochial view and look at the library anew. Gather staff and/or users together and ask, "If we had a blank slate, what would the library be like? What services would we have? What type of collections would we have? What would we outsource? What would we automate?" Stepping way back can provide a very different perspective to the budget cuts. Getting a fresh look at the library may just bring forward new ideas and new directions.

Some skeptics think that true change doesn't occur until budgets are reduced. Certainly a threatening environment forces us to have clear priorities. However, we don't want these exterior forces to drive us. No matter what the economic climate, it is important that the library have forward motion through planning. We have to ask continually, what are our achievable goals? What can we build over time as a result of a planning process? This is the most essential way for a library to be viable after the loss of funds.

By now, you probably feel as if you have looked under every rock for more ways to cut, to save, and to earn. Just a few more thoughts.

Sometimes it is easier to get one-time dollars than ongoing funds. If so, consider prepaying subscriptions to the jobbers and to the publishers. Look also at the vendors that have deposit accounts that allow us to squirrel away some resources for books and media. These deposit accounts also pay a little interest. None of this can solve the budget problem, but it can keep the wolf from the door a little longer.

Don't hesitate to negotiate. Vendors are hurting, too. They would probably rather make a little less profit than lose the order altogether. Walk away if the price is too high. Some companies still aren't getting the message. Make sure you are in a buying consortium. The discounts are deeper, and it is cheaper for the vendor to negotiate once rather than repeatedly.

Do an internal campaign to save dollars. We are still a wasteful society and live with so much abundance that we don't always realize where we are wasting resources. Be sure to ask staff for suggestions on ways to save money. Every idea is welcome because every little bit helps.

Continue to look at alternative funding from donors, foundations, and your Friends group. It won't help make payroll, but it can enhance the collection, equipment, and programs. [For more discussion, go to Curzon's article "Fundraising: The True Story."—Ed.]

Budget cutting has symbolic as well as actual dimensions. Be sure to level the playing field with budget cuts. If the staff is taking a hit in travel, management should, too. If no equipment or furniture is being ordered, this must apply to the administrators' spaces, too. Apart from being good management, this creates equity, sending a clear signal that everyone is sharing and sharing alike in this problem. It is particularly important at these times because people are on edge and competitive for scarce resources. An uneven field fosters resentment and finger pointing, while a level playing field builds a team.

Ask yourself: Is the library continually singled out for budget cuts? Is the budget shortfall being made up largely by reductions in library service? Is the community of users not particularly concerned? Are there no articles or editorials on what is happening? Is apathy the general response? If so, ask yourself even tougher questions: Has the library been providing good service? Has it been relevant to its users? Has it kept up with the times? Has it developed strategic alliances across the organization or in the community? Be honest about any shortcomings you see and start to change direction. Eggs cannot be unscrambled, but we don't have to break any new ones either.

Maybe you have done everything humanly possible, but still the cuts are coming. It isn't easy in these circumstances to be positive. We put so much into our libraries, it is difficult to manage when cuts come. This is especially true when we have to reduce services that took so much effort to build up. However, it won't help if we add gloom to the situation. Negativity only hinders our thinking and our actions.

What we must do is keep focused on the mission and on the future, on what we can do, not on what we can't. As Warren G. Bennis, said, "Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line."