Problem Statement
Given that public libraries are increasingly becoming important institutions in the 21st century, they are facing challenges in keeping abreast with the ever-increasing needs of millions of library users. One of the major challenges that public libraries experience is the insufficiency of funds, which makes the provision of library services unsustainable (Sin & Kim, 2008). As one of the public libraries in the United States, Clayton County Public Library System is gradually experiencing financial difficulties, which have made it unable to provide diverse quality services to library users. From the library’s website, it is clear that the system depends on funding from the local government, grants, and Friends of the Library (FOL) fundraisers (Clayton County Public Library System, 2014). From the available literature, it is evident that these sources of funds are not enough to run the operations of the library. The decline in the sources of funds explains why libraries are providing poor and limited services to library users (Walker, 2007). Global economic condition is a significant factor that has led to the decline in the sources and the number of funds among the public libraries. According to Collins (2012), economic recession compels public libraries to reduce their budgets and operate in deficits. Thus, the ever-increasing needs of library users and diminishing sources of funds affect the financial sustainability of the Clayton Public Library System.
The financial sustainability of public libraries is a current issue that affects the provision of quality services to library users. Mostad-Jensen (2009) holds that intermittent economic recession is a common economic phenomenon in modern society that is threatening the financial sustainability of libraries. To cope with the challenge of financial sustainability, most libraries have reduced the number and quality of services that they offer with the view of adapting to stringent budgets, which diminishes with time. The increasing use of public libraries implies that they require additional resources for their expansion and provision of essential quality services (Collins, 2012; Sin & Kim, 2008). In this view, diversification of funds is necessary to enable public libraries to expand and provide quality services to the increasing number of library users. As Walker (2007) cites funding as a primary factor that causes a decline in the number and quality of services that libraries provide, Clayton Public Library System also faces the same issue. Moreover, analysis of literature indicates that there is an inadequate industry-wide snapshot of how public libraries can diversify their funding sources to become more financially stable. Thus, diversification of funds is a feasible means of enhancing the financial sustainability of the Clayton Public Library System.
The approach of the Study
The study will apply a quantitative approach in examining the relationship between diverse sources of funds and the financial sustainability of the Clayton Public Library System. Since sources of funds and financial sustainability are independent and dependent variables respectively, their analysis using quantitative techniques is appropriate because one can quantify them. According to Kura (2012), the quantitative approach is advantageous in research because it allows deductive and inductive interpretation of research findings. Through the quantitative approach, researchers can make substantial inferences from the collected data and analyzed findings. Morrow and Fassinger (2013) add that the quantitative approach establishes the existence of cause-and-effect relationships and allows hypothesis testing, and thus provides a persuasive view that quantifies variables of a study. In this view, the quantitative approach is appropriate in establishing the relationships between the diversity of funds and the financial sustainability of the Clayton Public Library System.
References
Clayton County Public Library System (2014). Quick Facts: 2010-2011 Fiscal Year Statistics. Web.
Collins, T. (2012). The current budget environment and its impact on libraries, publishers and vendors. Journal of Library Administration, 52(1), 18-35.
Kura, S. (2012). Qualitative and quantitative approaches to the study of poverty: Taming the tensions and appreciating the complementarities. The Qualitative Report, 17(34), 1-19.
Morrow, S., & Fassinger, R. (2013). Toward best practices in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method research: A social justice perspective. Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 5(2), 69-83.
Mostad-Jensen, A. (2009). The impact of economic recessions on libraries: A past, present, and future. Library Ideas, 14(1), 53-57.
Sin, J., & Kim, S. (2008). Use and non-use of public libraries in the information age: A logistic regression analysis of household characteristics and library services variables. Library & Information Science Research, 30(3), 207-215.
Walker, S. (2007). Low volume, funding, staffing, and technical problems are key reasons for discontinuation of chat reference services. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 2(3), 97-100.