Special and corporate libraries hold a unique position in the library management world, as they cater to advancing specialized knowledge and opportunities for specific constituencies, and may rely on single sources of funding for their initiatives. Still, they are subject to the same forces as their public or academic counterparts in terms of demonstrating relevancy and an ability to deliver in-depth information using the latest digital tools and platforms. And, like their public and academic brethren, special and corporate libraries also have had to tighten their belts in the midst of a tight and increasingly hyper-competitive economy. These are some of the conclusions of a recent survey of 197 special or corporate library managers and professionals from across North America. This study, conducted by the Library Resource Guide (LRG)—in conjunction with Unisphere Research, the market research division of Information Today, Inc. (ITI)—in October and November 2010 among libraries listed in ITI’s American Library Directory, reveals current spending patterns for public, academic, government, and special libraries and projects budget and other spending trends for 2011. A total of 1,201 libraries representing four key segments—academic libraries, public libraries, special and corporate libraries, and government (mainly state, federal, and armed forces) libraries responded to the survey. In this survey, 28% of the libraries surveyed are affiliated with healthcare institutions, and another 26% are part of associations, foundations, or museums. Another 14% are with legal libraries. Among the 197 respondents are directors, administrators, managers, department heads, and librarians from the complete range of library settings and sizes. One-fourth serve populations of greater than 10,000 constituents. (For detailed demographic breakdowns, see Figures 27–30 at the end of this report.) Key findings from the survey include the following: Special and corporate libraries tightened their budgets over the past year, but spending will be more stable in the year ahead. Larger libraries were most likely to have suffered cuts and will continue to do so in 2011. Typical annual budgets currently fall in the range of $300,000 to $2 million, and budgets are evenly split between staffing and content acquisition. Four out of five special and corporate libraries cut back in one or more areas over the past year, led by cuts in subscriptions and staff training. However, many continued to increase funding for digital resources, including online subscriptions and ebooks. Larger libraries are also pressuring vendors to renegotiate contracts for more favorable terms. Print resources still consume a majority of annual content budgets, but almost all growth in demand among special and corporate libraries is for digital information and technology resources. Special/corporate libraries maintained their information technology system budgets through the budget storm, and are growing their online subscription purchasing. Few of these libraries are considering cloud computing approaches, however. Social media tools are also now part of most libraries’ offerings. From a strategic perspective, most special and corporate libraries see the future as digital, and are directing efforts to increase accessibility and awareness of digital offerings. Special and corporate libraries are built and maintained as part of the organizations they serve, and thus, managers in this segment may have to pay particular attention to the internal politics that affect budgeting and resource allocations, some respondents warn. “In a corporate environment, our challenge is retaining visibility in the organization, and staying current with technology in an environment of stagnant or shrinking budgets,” says the manager of a utility’s internal library. The head librarian for a large healthcare facility cautions that many librarians don’t do a good job of selling their roles to organizations at large. “There’s a propensity for administrators to sacrifice library departments, staff or services during budgetary or organizational crises through misguided dependence upon online services proffered as alternatives to physical facilities with live staff,” the respondent says. “Libraries have to inculcate a dependency in administrators for their services by direct and aggressive (yet respectful) delivery of both traditional and electronic services, with clear and decisive contributions by library staff to organizational success.” The bottom line is that, just as the organizations they serve may be under pressure to deliver greater value to constituents or customers, special and corporate libraries face a similar mandate. “Library professionals need to be more business savvy in their approach to delivering products and services,” says the administrator for a healthcare organization library. “Library professionals need to better educate their users on the librarian’s role in the 21st century. In order for library professionals to stay ahead of the curve, we need teach our trade to our users so they can understand our significance and role in the ‘Google Age.’”

Funding and Priorities: The Library Resource Guide Benchmark Study on 2011 Library Spending Plans was produced by Unisphere Research and sponsored by ProQuest. Unisphere Research is the market research unit of Unisphere Media, a division of Information Today, Inc., publishers of Database Trends and Applications magazine and the 5 Minute Briefing newsletters. Unisphere Media, 229 Main Street, Chatham, NJ 07928. Tel: 973-665-1120, Fax: 973-665-1124, Email: Tom@dbta.com, Web: www.dbta.com. Data collection and analysis performed with SurveyMethods. © Copyright 2011, Information Today, Inc. All rights reserved.