Here are a few notes from our IG discussion on May 10 concerning budgets and accounting.
1. Most of the time was spent on the topic of funding for professional development, training, continuing education and travel:
· Some institutions support upwards of $750 or even $2,000 per annum; others have little or no funding available.
· Some institutions provide a specific per-person allocation; others have a general pool and individuals have to apply for or request funding, with decisions made by a committee or by the director/dean.
· Some institutions retain an addition pool for 'directed travel' when an individual needs to complete specific training.
· Some institutions also keep a pool of funding to support staff travel and training.
· There was a sense that academic institutions should have an obligation to support conference travel is scholarship and service are required elements for tenure.
· Some institutions allow individuals to use professional development monies to pay for professional memberships, others don't.
· In some cases, professional development support is included during salary negotiations. Some institutions may stipulate specific amounts of money, while others indicate support for certain conferences critical to the individual's professional plan.
· Several participants bemoaned the fact that professional development is the "low hanging fruit" that is first to be cut during a budget crunch. "It remains so critical to support this."
2. The remaining time discussed budgets for student employment.
· Pressure coming as states increase minimum wage. Too often this occurs with no increase in budget resulting in students getting fewer hours at higher hourly rate. This results in a decrease in contact hours for the library.
· Examples of cross-training student jobs in different departments and separate service points.
· Some institutions considering what lower levels of staff work can be given to students, allowing staff to focus more time on higher level operations. Example given of copy cataloging work.
· Discussion of federal work-study and whether institutions pay 100%, 50% or none of the student wages. Some institutions only employ work-study students (no budget for non-FWS)
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Erik Nordberg
Dean of the Paul Meek Library
University of Tennessee at Martin
He/Him/His
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