COST FINDING:Method and Management

Costing is more than just a buzz word for librarians working in either the public or private sector. We are all concerned with program efficiency, cost containment, and financial management. But, cost studies are a lot of work and not universally popular. In fact, actual cost studies are not common. Those produced are frequently uneven in method and quality and often focus on specific areas such as acquisitions or circulation. As a result, the methodology for arriving at the cost conclusions is at best unique to the specific case; at worst it is incomplete or only inferred.