Cost Management for University Libraries

Abstract

Financial autonomy, global budgets, budgeting, decentralized resources management – new challenges in financing and cost management confront not only academic libraries, but also all other kinds of university institution. At the same time, due to the financial tension currently surrounding public authority budgets, many university libraries are losing the scope they need to take action to an alarming degree: High demands, especially in the field of electronic media, clash with increasingly trimmed budgets. Under these circumstances, economic tools, promising to identify cost cutting potentials and an optimal allocation of scarce resources, are receiving increasing attention. Cost-benefit accounting in particular is seen as a promising way to significantly improve cost transparency and cost consciousness. Emphasizing practical orientation, this volume presents the results of the DFG (German Research Society) project “Cost Management for University Libraries”, edited by the university libraries of Münster, Düsseldorf and Paderborn. The introductory section illustrates the methodical basis of cost accounting adjusted to the framework of centralized university institutions. The practical section provides details on the setting up of cost accounting for libraries, with particular emphasis on the concept of process cost accounting. The final section presents strategies of active resource management aimed at optimising the cost situation. The volume is accompanied by a CD featuring LIBRARYMANAGER, a software tool especially developed within the framework of the project to support each stage in the process of accounting – types of costs, cost centres, cost bearers.