A new book by adjunct instructor Robert Burger, Financial Management of Libraries and Information Centers, is now available from Libraries Unlimited. The book addresses many of the topics Burger covers in his iSchool course of the same name (LIS 569), which he has taught since 2010.
About the book: This book provides a logical, organized way for library school students, librarians, and others such as library board members to gain the specific knowledge critical to the financial management of libraries and information centers. [It] covers the full spectrum of topics and skills needed by today's managers—from the basics of budgeting, accounting, and financial statements to audits, forecasting, risk management, and revenue sources. There are even chapters on ethical considerations and advocacy. The skills readers will learn from this guide are of critical importance in this era of financial constraints and accountability at every level of the organization. Students in management and financial management courses and practicing library managers seeking to improve their financial management skills will find this book an essential tool for success.
"Financial management is an often-overlooked subject in graduate schools of library and information science. During that first year teaching LIS 569, the idea for a textbook took shape, and over the ensuing six years it grew into this volume," he said.
Meg Edwards (MS '04), assistant dean for student affairs at the iSchool, coauthored with Sarah Wilds one of the book’s chapters, "Marketing, Public Affairs, and Development: Communicating the Library's Values." Edwards and Wilds are both daughters of Burger, as is Nell Kirst, who coauthored a chapter on decision traps and choice architectures in the book with her father.