CDL: Budget allocation formulas? (response 4)

[Original post followed by responses. JA]


From:  "Gibbons, Dennis" <d.gibbons_at_tcu.edu>

I have the task of revising our materials budget allocation formula.  We used an old
formula to allocate the monographs budget, but for the past few years we have not
recalculated the allocations. Now the dean wants a formula to calculate allocations for
all types of materials: monographs, serials, electronic resources.
My questions:

     1. Does your library use a budget allocation formula?
     2. If so, do you apply the formula to only monographs?
Thanks,
Dennis Gibbons
Collection Development Librarian
Texas Christian University       Phone: 817-257-7312
TCU Box 298400                    Fax:     817-257-7282
Fort Worth, TX 76129              E-mail: d.gibbons_at_tcu.edu


==#4==

CDL: Budget allocation formulas?
From: "Linwood DeLong" <linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>

We have used a formula in the past that works approx. as follows.  The information for 
each academic dept. (with "dept." needing to be carefully defined) is collected as follows:

no. of faculty; no. of students; no. of courses;([average price/book] X2 )
___________________________________________________________

Total:  no. of faculty; no. of students; no. of courses; ( [average price/book for all 
depts.] X2 )


The 5 factors (average price/book is double weighted, so it is two factors) are calculated 
for each dept. and added together, and then, after the calculations are done for all 
departments, each department's allotment is made into a percentage of the whole.

We apply this formula only to books.   We experimented with the idea of determining the 
no. of journals in each database that apply to each dept., but we found that the 
calculations that were required were becoming very onerous.  Since there was no consensus 
that this information was helpful to us, so we ultimately dropped this factor.

The average price/book is an average of the last 4 years based on the books actually 
purchased at our institution by the department, and it is perceived as a better benchmark 
than the average price for an academic monograph in the various vendor databases that we 
have access to.

I would be pleased to answer additional questions directly.

Linwood DeLong
University of Winnipeg
e-mail:  l.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca

Linwood DeLong
Head of Reference and Research Services
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9

Ph. 204-786-9124
Fax:  204-786-1824
e-mail:  l.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca