Module 8 - Budgeting and Advocating for Equitable Access - Department of Education

This content reflects work done as part of the Indigenous Perspectives in School Librarianship (IPSL) grant funded by IMLS (RE-246303-OLS-20). Actual assignments may vary.

Module 8: Budgeting & Advocating for Equitable Access

The library budget is, of course, how the library determines the amount of funds it can spend on resources; but it has the potential to be part of the action plan for the collection development process. As steward of the school library’s resources, it is your responsibility to maximize financial resources and spend them fairly and in service to equitable access for all learners. In this module, you will determine the current school library budget and budgeting process, and then use zero-based budgeting to put together a funding proposal for the library.

Module Objectives

Develop a plan to advocate for changes in curation policy and practice aligned with the ethical codes of the profession.

Think

Hughes-Hassell, S. (2020). Budgeting for maximum impact. In Collection management for youth: Equity, inclusion, and learning (2^nd edition; pp. 103-120). Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.
Hughes-Hassell, S. (2020). Collaboration and collection planning. In Collection management for youth: Equity, inclusion, and learning (2^nd edition; pp. 121-136). Chicago, IL: ALA Editions.

Create

Assignment: Equitable Access Budget

Complete Tool 11: Identifying Funding Sources in Your Community from Hughes-Hassell (2020).
Complete Tool 12: Budget Justification Plan from Hughes-Hassell (2020). Your budget plan does not need to be comprehensive at this stage. Identify one to three areas that need improvement and focus on those areas.
Write a letter to your administrator / funding committee with a request for additional funds (see example). Be sure to:
- Present only the essentials
- Tell your story with examples and visuals
- Justify your request by tying it to learning priorities, learner needs and preferences, identified equitable access issues, and the status of the existing collection
- Show budget requests at different levels
The following rubric will be used to assess your work.

Equitable Access Budget Rubric

Component	Emerging	Basic	Proficient
Goals of Collection Management (ALA/AASL/CAEP 4.1)	Goals do not demonstrate an understanding of equitable access to library materials and resources.	Goals demonstrate an understanding of equitable access to library materials and resources.	Goals demonstrate an understanding of equitable access to library materials and resources, and present solutions to existing inequities.
Letter to administrator (ALA/AASL/CAEP 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.3)	The letter does not provide a rationale for the funding request.	The letter presents a rationale for the funding request, but no attempt is made to provide evidence for the claim.	The letter presents a strong rationale for the funding request, utilizing data as evidence for the claim.
Yearly budget priorities and one-year plan (ALA/AASL/CAEP 4.2; AK CSforE E)	Budget priorities do not reflect the need for collection assessment or community analysis.	Budget priorities reflect occasional need for collection assessment and community analysis.	Budget priorities reflect the need for continual collection assessment, community analysis, and weeding of the collection.
Funding sources (ALA/AASL/CAEP 2.2, 5.3; AK CSforE D)	The letter does not mention community input or collaboration.	The letter indicates that community feedback was or will be utilized.	Funding sources reflect collaborations with the local community.
Use of data (ALA/AASL/CAEP 5.1)	The letter does not include data, or data included is irrelevant or unclear.	The letter includes library statistics. Data is effectively presented.	The letter includes relevant library statistics. Data is effectively presented and interpreted.
Overall Assignment Rating	Emerging in two or more components.	Basic or higher in four or more components.	Proficient in three or more components. No emerging ratings.

In the #8budget channel, complete the following, and respond to at least two of your classmates:

Post Tool 11, Tool 12, and your letter
Consider the budget model (Hughes-Hassell, 2020, p. 105-109) that your school uses and answer the four questions about sources of income on p. 104. Seek out the school’s librarian or administrator or secretary to help you answer these questions, if needed. If you are unable to find the answers, share the process you took to try and get them.
- What are your sources of income?
- How are they received?
- What does receipt of funding look like?
- What are the spending deadlines?
Reflect on the budget process. How is zero-based budgeting different than the process your school currently uses to establish the library’s budget. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?