[Publib] AP story on library outsourcing

Fri Oct 5 15:07:31 EDT 2007

Greetings,

If you use Starbucks as a model, it shows how profitable
small units can be with costs being absorbed
by large scale administrative, marketing, accounting,
training, hr, and planning processes.  However, it is
not a franchise.  That model would not be possible without
current technology.  

What you are postulating about driving
to large facilities to get books is just a function of
the marginal propensity to consume.  The distance to
schools and libraries will always be a factor.  Having
everything in one big box might be a good idea where you
have an excellent delivery system.  However, service
models depend on many variables.

*************************************************
Robert L. Balliot
1-401-441-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
*************************************************
-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Mark Furukawa
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 2:00 PM
To: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: RE: [Publib] AP story on library outsourcing

Consolidating "can", but does not invariably lead to greater efficiencies
and cost-saving (otherwise it could be argued that we should eliminate state
and local government because it would be more efficient to have the Federal
government do it all - except I don't think anyone believes that the Federal
government is efficient).

I don't know that I can agree that I get better service at a big-box
hardware compared to the old neighborhood hardware where the staff had more
than just a few hours of training in what all the gizmos do. Certainly, it's
cheaper, if I know what I need. Not cheaper, if I need to repeat the hour's
drive to get the thing I really needed.

Many of us are already realizing the big-box stores' economies of scale by
merging multiple smaller branch libraries into fewer larger branch
libraries. To extrapolate, would a single large-ish library replace all
those branches and still 'make a profit' and provide better service or would
we have a larger percentage of un- and under-served? Customers are willing
to drive a bit farther to save money (real or imagined), but will patrons
drive as far for a library book because it's saving (real or imagined) their
tax dollars?

On the other hand, franchising profitably uses a combination of
consolidation and local control with lots of little shops every other block
owned by "independent franchisees". I'd be more confident (or at least less
horrified) of this model for libraries than a national chain. [On the other
other hand, I lost my shirt owning one of these franchises.]

BTW, I'd rather we stopped using education as a yard-stick by which we
illustrate how much better we are. While it's an easy (and popular) target,
we encourage the public to merely lump us in with them rather than seeing us
as a separate (already cheaper, more economical, efficient and effective)
entity. Not sure how I feel about being compared to a dog kennel, though we
have gotten books back with rather peculiar dampness....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark Furukawa, Branch Head
Calumet Township Branches
of Lake County Public Library
940 N. Broad St.
Griffith, IN 46319-1528 (USA)
mfurukawa(at)lakeco.lib.in.us
http://www.lakeco.lib.in.us/griffith.htm
http://www.lakeco.lib.in.us/blackoak.htm
http://www.lakeco.lib.in.us/fortyfirst.htm
     May I deal with honor,
     May I act with courage,
     May I achieve humility.
                from "Straight"
                by Dick Francis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

_______________________________________________
Publib mailing list
Publib at webjunction.org
http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib