. Talking books produced by the CNIB for visually impaired individuals; Specialized electronic databases supporting language learning.

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1 Apecdv lm II DEPARTMENT: LONDON PUBLIC LIBRARY BUSINESS CASE OPERATING BUDGET -COLLECTIONS BUDGET October 7,2005 Submitted by: Anne Becker - CEO, London Public Library 10 PREAMBLE In its Vision, Mission and Strategic Plan, London Public Library has committed to: Provision of quality core services to Londoners Strategies for services assessment to ensure that o Core services are aligned with the vision and mission and that they meet the needs in the community; o Operations are effective and efficient; o The Library is accountable to its stakeholders Londoners see library collections as core to all library services Collections serve diverse users fiom a variety of demographic and socio-economic backgrounds having a variety of needs and expectations Comprised of approximately 11 million items, the London Public Library Collection is housed in the Central Library and 15 Branch libraries located throughout the City of London In 2004, library cardholders borrowed over 35 million items Description of Library Collections Collections provide a range of fiction and non-fiction subjects and a balance of viewpoints in order to support Londoners in all aspects of their lives from formal learning to lifelong leaming to daily information needs to recreation, leisure and cultural needs For example, Londoners can enjoy: Non-fiction on a range of subjects for adults, teens and children; Hardcover and paperback fiction for all age groups; Picture-books for the very young, and beginning readers and chapter hooks for youngsters learning to read; Children s project books for school and information books for pleasure and learning; Subscriptions to 1,780 print magazines and newspapers; 43 information databases providing over 10,843 on-line magazines, business, health information, and reference sources (almanacs, dictionaries, directories); Audio-books and music in cassette and CD format; Research and recreational videos and DVDs As consumers, Londoners want to access a variety of formats: books, audiovisual (videos, DVD, cassettes, CDS, magazines, newspapers, CD-ROM, electronic databases, etc) Accessibility is provided through specialized resources: nowenglish language; literacy and English as a second language; access formats; etc For example, Londoners can enjoy: Non-English language books, music, videos, DVDs and audio-books in 29 languages for the growing multicultural community; Dual language children s books in English and Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, Punjabi, Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese and Somali for immigrants and their families; Literacy based book and tape kits for Londoners of all ages learning to read, or leaming English as a second language; Videos and DVDs purchased with public performance rights allow group presentations for students and others; Access formats for visually disabled and people requiring visual aids - books on tape, described videos, large print books and magazines, adaptive technology; Talking books produced by the CNIB for visually impaired individuals; Specialized electronic databases supporting language learning 1

2 Trends Analysis User trends include: People continue to use the library as a place to read and borrow books; Books, such as bestsellers, continue to be in high demand; There is demand for digitized, content-rich resources such as full text magazine and newspaper databases; Print, audiovisual and electronic resources will continue to coexist and be popular collections formats for the foreseeable future; New audiovisual and digital formats are introduced and become popular quickly so that demand for them is concurrent with that of previously existing formats; Aging of the population is beginning to result in increased demand for specialized formats such as described videos, talking books, large print; Ongoing settlement of newcomers from Eastern Europe and Mid-East countries will mean ongoing demand for ESL materials and multilingual collections Service Analysis LPL uses both quantitative and qualitative services assessment and external comparative measures to assess service levels, community impact and effectiveness/efficiency for service delivery to Londoners In addition to using the Ontario Municipal Benchmarking Initiative (OMBI) measures, LPL benchmarks and measures using standards set by the Province of Ontario Ministry of Culture, Canadian Urban Library Council, Canadian Library Association, and International Federation of Library Associations Current OMBI data shows lower service levels and higher usage in London than in other comparable communities: Service level - total library holdings: 1,101,350 volumes // total library holdings per capita: London = 308; average = 330 Community impact - total annual circulation: 3,598,943 //total annual circ per capita: London = 10377; average = 8542 With the erosion of purchasing power resulting in the purchase of fewer titles with the same money, the number of new titles added per capita has decreased each year for the past 10 years Further investigation shows that patrons seek current materials when information seeking Usage by year of publication shows that the average turnover rate for titles published in 2004 was 94 circulations per year as compared with an average turnover rate of 3 circulations per year for titles published in 2000 Therefore, while Londoners use the collections heavily, their desire for current resources is evident in borrowing patterns LPL reports quarterly on collections and lending services, comparing current quarter and year-todate with that of previous year(s) In addition the LPL Annual Report to stakeholder gives an overview of collections services Analysis of usage patterns helps to ensure that resources are directed to meet community needs - public needs and expectations Market Analysis Consultation and review of the considerable body of literature on demographic, social and library industry trends show that: The electronic revolution that was supposed to make libraries extinct has made them indispensable as people attempt to navigate the information highway in a meaningful, useful way; Demographic trends that will have an impact include an increased percentage of seniors in the total population and immigration and settlement patterns in London; Societal trends impacting library services include changing consumer behavior, the (Student) double cohort, the Net Generation, and the continued evolution of the knowledge-based society and of information as a commodity 2

3 The Library Collections Budget has neither kept pace with inflation nor with user needs, demand and expectations since 1994 Factors Affecting Collections Expenditure Between 1994 and 2004 there has been a continuous decrease in collections purchasing power The Consumer Price Index (CPI) [source: Statistics Canada] for reading materials and other printed matter has been significantly higher than general CPI over past 10 years Between , the collections budget increased by 764% while the CPI for printed materials was 3244% The Canadian Publishers Council Pricing & Service Survey and other industry sources show that during this time the average price increase for all collections materials was 3063% In other words, if the collections budget had kept pace with inflation, it would now be larger by $423,000 This does not account for any additional projected increases for 2005 and beyond in the cost of collections materials Industry collections resources initiatives funded by the federal and provincial governments were also eliminated during this time frame For example, the National Library MultiLingual BiblioService, which had been one of the Library s main providers of deposit collections on non-english language materials, was discontinued The Library reallocated funds within the collections budget in order to be able to continue to support the needs of refugees and other newcomers settling in London The World Wide Web provides much infomiation of use to library users and staff However, because information is a commodity in the marketplace increasingly, significant content is being provided by vendors on a cost basis through licensed subscriptions In order to acquire these resources to provide access to the public, LPL reallocated funds within the collections budget Increased Public Demand and Exaectations Changes in the marketplace (information highway and introduction of new formats such as DVD) have raised consumer expectations adding demand for new types of collections formats in addition to ongoing and increasing demand for traditional resources, such as books The LPL capital program has resulted in increased collections circulation in new and refurbished locations ( ) and similar increases are projected for those completed in 2005 Experience has been consistent at Central, Cherryhill, Crouch and Westmount We are projecting similar increases for Byon, Beacock, East London, Jalna, Landon and Shenvood An infusion of $250,000 to the Collections Operating Budget as part of the operating budget increase to support the new, expanded Central Library (2000/2001) helped to narrow the growing gap between available funding and need However, there has been no corresponding operating budget increases to support increased demand for branch collections Attempts to Keep Pace Attempts to keep pace with increased costs and public needs, demands and expectations include a variety of strategies such as: Annual prioritization of allocations within collections budgets; Development of pool browsing collections, such as the large print pool, that can be rotated from one location to the next as the titles are read out by users; Standing orders for print reference resources and magazine subscriptions were cancelled, where feasible, to reallocate resources to subscribe to electronic resources; Changes to lending services policies (shorter loan periods of high demand items and reduction of the number of items a person can borrow at any time to increase turnover rates in order to increase public accessibility of limited resources; Limited introduction of new formats until the format is mainstream in the marketplace and costs come down in order to balance resource allocation; 3

4 Aggressive procurement resulting from tendering and vendor negotiation; Consortium buying with other libraries for both print and electronic resources; Establishment of partnerships with groups such as Autism Society and the Child Abuse Prevention Council, to augment specific, topical collections; Securing of donations for enhanced areas of the collection such as support for environmental resources by Friends of the Environment; Use of funds raised through Lasting Treasure, LPL s annual giving campaign, and by the Friends of the London Public Library to support the introduction ofnew formats 30 RECOMMENDED SOLUTION The following, approved by the London Public Library Board, at its June 22, 2005 meeting, provides an overview of the Collections Operating Budget request: To meet the current andprojectedpublic needs, expectations and demands and to address inflationary impact - since 1994, it is recommended that London Public Library k core collection operating budget be increased by $100,00Oper annum commencing in 2006 and extending to 2008 Approval ofthe operating request for 2006 will have a number ofpositive and immediate results including: Maintain core collections service levels, customer satisfaction and improve the relevancy (scope and currency) of content of library collections materials; Improve service levels by meeting emerging community needs resulting from demographic shifts and changes in newcomer populations; Improve community impact by increasing the number of current items within the collection thereby improving per capita access, which is currently below other library systems 40 DEClSION CRITERIA Each alternative was analyzed on the basis of the following criteria: Capacity to advance achievement of LPL Vision, Mission, Core Services, and corporate goals and objectives in being a key information services provider in the City of London; Impact on service levels, customer satisfaction and community impact; Ability to support and advance the goals and priorities of the City of London in serving its citizens and in continuing to promote London as a place to live and to work; Cost effectiveness and efficiency; Sustainability; Potential for partnerships and collaboration 50 IDENTIFYING ALTERNATIVES The following alternatives were considered: Retain the status quo; Seek increase to operating funding from the City of London as part of the 2006 LPL Operating Budget Request; Continue to seek partnerships, fund development and fundraising opportunities 60 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES Status Quo The status quo will result in an ongoing erosion of service levels (collections relevancy, currency, accessibility) and will have a negative impact on the ability to meet community needs, demands and expectations There will he a negative impact on Londoners who rely on the Library for access to the world of information and creative expression There will be a negative impact on educational, community and government institutions and agencies that rely on the library collections to serve their clients and Londoners as citizens Experience bas also shown that reduced service levels will have a negative impact on partnerships, revenue development and fund raising 4

5 Seek Operatine Increase Gap analysis has identified a financial need of $423,000 (not inclusive of any additional projected increases in the costs of collections materials) LPL Senior Team and Staff have developed a multi-year plan to address the funding need and the corresponding collections management program required Alternative Sources of Revenue As part of the new LPL Strategic Plan, ongoing emphasis will be placed on partnerships, fund development and fundraising opportunities to support specific areas of need such as the purchase of start-up collections to introduce new formats; purchase of access formats; and redevelopment of specific topical collections 70 IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP Acquire necessary operating budget; Commence implementation of strategic intents and business plans already created as part of development of new LPL Strategic Plan (include: project scope, goals, operational resource requirements, tasks, accountabilities, timelines, metrics to measure project success and service impact); Services Assessment: Measure, analyze and report on impact 80 RISK ASSESSMENT The risks that should be considered in not increasing the collections budget include: Reduced service levels resulting in lower user satisfaction; Dilution of the perceived relevancy of the London Public Library as an integral and essential information gateway and community hub; Greater budget expenditure required in future years to catch up in order to meet reasonable library service standards Environmental Risk Nota bene: At this time, there is uncertainty regarding the ongoing level of support that public libraries will receive each year from the Ministry of Culture In 2005, the Ministry of Culture reduced funding to library support services, such as the Southern Ontario Library Service, by over $700,000 London Public Library has been a beneficiary of collections and other services provided through this finding LPL also receives direct funding from the Ministry of Culture in the form of an annual grant This revenue contributes to the bottom-line budget and is, therefore, allocated across all budget lines including the collections budget Between 1994 and 1996, the LPL grant was cut by approximately 50% to the current funding level of $600,000 and has never been increased If the provincial government reduces this funding further, there will be a further damaging impact on the Library s service levels Currently the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries is undertaking advocacy with the Province with regards to funding levels for library services 5