1. Amy L. Atkinson, Robert H. Burger, and Paula T. Kaufman University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Mind the Gap: Financial Management Education in LIS Curricula Special thanks to Scott Bennett, Marsha Grove, and Rachel Rubin for their review of the paper on which this poster is based. Thanks also to Dan Tracy for his assistance with the printing of this poster. To meet increasing demand for sound financial management within libraries, we recommend: That LIS schools revisit the composition and length of their graduate programs. That LIS schools and professional organizations bolster their menus of Continuing Education courses. 3 That the professional literature surrounding LIS both further investigate the issue and help close the knowledge gap by providing accurate, accessible guidance to practitioners. 3 Survey the English-language websites of fifty-six Library and Information Science programs, locating and examining: Course catalogs and schedules Degree requirements Responses to email queries Sixty-two syllabi, gathered online and by request Analyze relevant textbooks – identified through the surveyed courses, previous exposure, and a literature search – for quality of content, including: Accuracy of information – reliable, current, and conforms to national standards. Connection of budgeting to higher financial management concepts. Discussion of meaning and importance of cost control and managerial accounting. Linking of financial management concepts and practices to related matters, e.g. contracts and employment law. “It appears to us that there is in fact an increasing need for library managers at all levels to be knowledgeable about financial management.” 1 LIS program graduates moving quickly into management positions Budget cuts and other financial constraints pose continual challenges Increased accountability to tax payers As such, “graduate schools preparing people to work in libraries have at least as much obligation to teach financial management as they do to teach the many other subjects that are commonly found in LIS curricula. “ 1 To that end, how do LIS programs prepare their graduates for financially savvy leadership? T Financial management education within LIS programs 2 largely fails to equip graduates with skills needed for responsible financial leadership: Financial Management Courses Only 18% of programs offered courses devoted to financial management; 70% were semester- length, 30% were truncated or otherwise irregular. General Management Courses Over 40% had no identifiable finance training. School Library Management Courses 100% devoted at least one class session and/or course assignment. Other, Non-Management courses 56% devoted all or part of one class session and/or project; none spent more than one class session. Textbooks None met all of the established criteria. 1 Burger, R. et al. (2014) Disturbingly Weak: The Current State of Financial Management Education in Library and Information Science Curricula, Library Continuing Education Venues, and Library Literature. Manuscript submitted for publication. 2 Based on available syllabi. 3 See handout. FINDINGS CONCLUSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION METHODOLOGY