Running head: NEW LATINO INFORMATION CENTER

Case Study 2: New Latino Information Center

Elise Aiello
University of South Florida

NEW LATINO INFORMATION CENTER

Case Study 2: New Latino Information Center

Tampa has just elected a new mayor, and one of his campaign promises was providing
better services to the citys increasing Latino population. This promise will largely come to
fruition with the creation of a new Latino Information Services (LIS) department that will be
located in city hall. LIS will offer a wide range of information services, including naturalization
and immigration information, job and resume help, English language classes and resources, and
housing information. I am a senior librarian and have been put in charge of initiating and
managing the LIS. In order to successfully plan and implement the operational goals of LIS, a
comprehensive budget must be drawn up. As Stueart & Moran point out, Budgeting is that part
of the total planning equation that assures that resources are obtained and then used effectively
and efficiently in accomplishing objectives (2013). While the mayor is very supportive of the
LIS endeavor and the citys tax base is fiscally strong, it is still necessary to plan for budget cuts.
The following will describe the expenses of the LIS, and what resources would be cut if there
were to be a 10% decrease.
One of the biggest expenses of the LIS will be staffing. There will be two employees, one
clerical earning $22,000 per year, and another, an entry-level information professional earning
$35,000 per year. In order to retain high quality staff, salary must not be compromised too
significantly. My salary will be $50,000 per year. Both employees will need computers that cost
$2,500 each. I will have to get a computer and other necessary equipment. Also, there will be
two user computer at $2,500 each. The LIS will be provided with office furniture and space in
city hall, and for this 20% of the LIS operational budget will be charged. Supplies will cost
around $300 per employee, telephone charges will be around $60 per month, and there will be
approximately $9,000 in operational expenses.

NEW LATINO INFORMATION CENTER

The subsequent portion will focus on what will happen if a 10% reduction of the budget
were to take place. As Schachter points out, Because staffing usually comprises the largest share
of information center budgets, being creative and proactive in seeking ways to reduce this
expense is critical (2009). There would have to be a somewhat small income cut, albeit it would
be ideal to keep it as small as possible to prevent employee morale from lagging. I would cut
10% from my salary but only 7% from the other information professionals salary and 5% from
the clerical employees salary. The easiest things to cut would be supplies such as business cards
and bookmarks. Maybe instead of having business cards and bookmarks, the LIS could have one
informational pamphlet that covers all information. This would cut the print costs significantly.
Unfortunately, a 10% budget hits the Information Center hard, so we will most likely have to do
away with one user computer. When dealing with budget cuts, it is critical to ruthlessly scrutinize
what is utilized and what is not, so that why the unutilized resources can be eliminated. For
example, is the information center paying for databases that are rarely used? I would cut $500
from the online licensing budget for this reason. Travel is another one I would cut a percentage
from, because worst case scenario would be less business trips or only having one person travel.

REVENUE

[List sources
of revenue
In this
section]
Total Revenue
EXPENSE
Salaries and
Benefits

Proposed
Budget
$

Comments

Proposed
Budget
with 10%
cut
$

Comments

NEW LATINO INFORMATION CENTER

Senior Info
Specialist

$
50,000

Info
Specialist

35,0
00

Clerical

22,0
00

Office
Expenses
(phone, etc.)
Computers (5)
2,500 ea.

7
20
12,
500

Supplies office

4
$ 45,000
$32,550

$20,900
$720
10,000

[add other
expenses
from here
down]

Print products:
(bookmarks,
business
cards,
pamphlets)

$3,000

Training and
Development

$3,000
$1,000

$1500

This would be an easy way to cut

spending. Eliminate unnecessary
printing. By just printing one
comprehensive informational
packet, printing costs can be
reduced significantly.

Travel cut by $272.

$728

Travel

Online licensing cut by $500

$1500
$1000
$1,000

Community
liaison

$2,000

Books and
journals

$300

Miscellaneous
Utilities Fee

Eliminate one user computer

1,2 3 employees @ $300,

00 one volunteer @ $300

[add other
expenses
from here
down]

Online
charges/licens
ing
agreements

10% budget cut from my salary, as

its the highest and costliest part
of LIS
7% budget cut. Less than my cut
but still had to take significant
amount due to salarly being so
costly
5% budget cut. Since this is
already a low salary I tried to keep
the cut as low as possible/

$26, 644 20% of operation budget

to city

$23,979

NEW LATINO INFORMATION CENTER

Total
Expenses

$
133,220

$
119,898

References
Schachter, Debbie. "Staff retention: preparing for the recovery: even as information center
managers try to keep staff motivated and focused during the economic downturn, they
must prepare for retention challenges looming on the horizon." Information Outlook Apr.May 2009: 36+.Business Insights: Essentials. Web. 1 Nov. 2013.

Stueart, Robert D. & Moran, Barbara B. (2007). Library and Information Center Management
(7th ed.). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.