Question Nine

The library has established financial resources within this year’s fiscal budget to implement the action plan – in particular, the library has set budget for training/learning, communications/outreach, programs/services, and collections development.

What is it and why is it important?

Libraries, through the provision of programs, services, resources, specialized collections, and ICT access and training, have a key role to play in the promotion of social inclusion of newcomers. In order to effectively deliver programs and services, libraries must allocate an adequate budget for social inclusion initiatives. Staff training, recruitment, translation, and professional development will also require a budget.

As we saw in the pilot library case study, participants were provided with refreshments and an honorarium to compensate them for their time and transportation expenses. The use of a participatory, community-based approach to gather input and feedback from the target community group requires a strategic budget.

Libraries provide information, programs, services, and also provide a venue where individuals can meet each other, collaborate, and share their stories and perspectives (Report on Community Technology Centres as Catalysts for Change, USA).

In addition to funding the development and implementation of information resources, customized collections, and other programs and services, libraries can also provide in-kind support through the provision of donated public space to aid community groups seeking support with integration and settlement into Canadian society.

The Laidlaw Foundation characterizes social inclusion as both a process and a goal. As a process it “reflects a proactive, human development approach to social well-being that calls for more than the removal of barriers or risks. It requires investments and action to bring about the conditions for inclusion” (Luxton, 2002 p. viii). That is, social inclusion is conceived as a method of achieving social change. Social inclusion must be strategically addressed; it is not simply the opposite condition of social exclusion.

It is clear that libraries have to commit substantial resources to ensure successful implementation of social inclusion initiatives.

Below you will find the budget allocated to the CULC/CBUC Social Inclusion Audit project with four pilot libraries.

CULC/CBUC Social Inclusion Audit budget (2008)
Pilot Libraries

Item Budget Assumptions Amount per library Total Budget
(all four pilot libraries)
Honorariums
  • Maximum six youth per pilot library committee
  • Approximately five meetings
  • Each meeting approximately two hours in length
$600.00 $2,400.00
Transportation
  • 24 youth
  • five meetings
  • Return transportation
  • $5.50 per return trip per youth
$165.00 $660.00
Refreshments
  • five meetings
  • $65 for refreshments per meeting
$325.00 $1,300.00
Total $1,090.00 $4,360.00

What does it look like and how do you do it?

We have assembled a list of budget lines below to assist you with brainstorming on costs associated with a variety of social inclusion initiatives. Your organization might be able to secure funding through foundations, service clubs, government, corporate sponsorship and through community associations to offset some of these costs. But, it is best to plan for each budget line so that you are clear about the cost and the need to secure alternate funding to help the library to achieve its social inclusion goals.

Figure 9.0 Sample budget
Budget Categories Budget Lines
Human Resources Conferences, workshops, training, and professional development
Recruitment (postings)
Professional/Association memberships
Journals and magazines (used for staff development purposes)
Consultant – training, HR policy review, and drafting
Other(s):
Marketing and Outreach Design, printing, and dissemination of marketing and outreach campaign materials
Staff – for example: time for a youth or community development librarian to implement outreach and community development activities
Advertising (specialized print, audio, and online media)
Other(s):
Participatory Community Based Approach Honorariums (time): $ per session * # of sessions * # of participants
Transportation: 2 transit tickets or tokens * # of participants * # of sessions
Babysitting (cover $ * hours * # of eligible participants * # of sessions
Refreshments (make sure you provide some food if you are meeting during breakfast, lunch, or dinner time) * # of people * # of sessions * cost per person
Office supplies – easel paper, markers, name tags, etc.
Other(s):
Collections Immigration and settlement information and resources
Special/ethno-lingual/cultural journals/magazines
Special/ethno-lingual/cultural audiovisual collections
Special/ethno-lingual/cultural books
Other(s):
Strategic and Operating Infrastructure Non-profit consultant: implementation and analysis of the social inclusion audit, and review organizational policies and procedures for inclusionary practices
Non-profit strategic planning consultant facilitate, implement, and support the development of focus groups, surveys, and other community-based research tools and aggregate and analyze results
Other(s):

The table below demonstrates a variety of programs and an overview of the budget lines.

Figure 9.1 Types of programs and their costs
Budget lines Programs, Services, and Resources
Please note that many of these initiatives will require the following expenditures

  • staffing
  • facility/meeting space rental
  • materials
  • technology
  • refreshments
  • guest-speakers
  • consultants
English as a Second Language instruction
Early literacy initiatives
Computer training
Employment services
Citizenship classes
Community development projects/librarians
After-school programs
Reading circles
Business/economic development programs (for new immigrants, etc)
New immigrant health programs
New immigrant parenting/early childhood programs
New immigrant youth programs
Other(s):

Audit Tool Interpretation – How to Assess Status and Progress

The Social Inclusion Audit Tool is designed to help the library assess the library’s current status and level of progress in removing barriers to social inclusion. This box contains some examples to help when using the Audit Tool for Question 9.

Low Status/Low Progress

This may be the case when the library has not established a budget for the implementation of the inclusion action plan, or for only some components of the plan, or the library has not yet begun to seek out funding sources for this work.

What should you do? Be Open to Change.

It is important to make inclusion a priority by allocating resources to initiatives that remove barriers to inclusion. The exercises in this chapter guide the process of budget allocation. Undertaking an assessment of the current or planned budget and giving close consideration to the components raised in this chapter will help inclusion initiatives gather momentum.

Low Status/High Progress

This may be the case when the library does not have dedicated resources for inclusion, but it is re-examining its budget planning process to make room for it. The case may also be the library has begun to solicit funds for these initiatives.

What should you do? Refine.

There are many aspects to removing the barriers to inclusion to consider and the exercises in this chapter are an excellent guide to help refine the library budget. Ensuring that managers understand their role and take responsibility for developing the initiatives they have been allocated resources for is very important. Setting deadlines for implementation of the plans will also help improve future status.

High Status/Low Progress

This may be the case when the library has allocated financial resources to the current budget for social inclusion initiatives, but funding sources may not be secured for the year to come.

What should you do? Become Intentional.

The library is doing a lot of things right but needs to ensure that there is a long-term commitment to removing the barriers to social inclusion. It is important to research all possible avenues of funding, and to have a staff member dedicated to securing these resources. Regular review and evaluation of the library and community’s changing needs is also crucial to ensuring progress towards removing the barriers.

High Status/High Progress

This may be the case when the library’s annual budget includes dedicated resources to implement the plans to remove barriers to inclusion. All aspects have been considered, including securing funding sources and setting budgets for training/learning, communications/outreach, programs and services, and collections development.

What should you do? Mentor Others.

The library is demonstrating a high capacity by securing funding and allocating financial resources within the budget to implement the removal of barriers to inclusion. No doubt there will have been some great successes along the way and some failures. Sharing these experiences with other libraries will help everyone on the way to become more inclusive.