We have separate line items for different types of things, but we are allowed to go over in a specific line as long as the overall account total is not exceeded. I find it necessary to have separate fund codes for print items vs. electronic items for reporting purposes, as was mentioned earlier.

And yes, if we get something in print + online, it gets counted as print in the budget.

Pat Thompson

At 01:52 PM 12/3/2009, you wrote:

We have a combined line for the two, but I used to work at a place where things were "line-itemed" and I hated it. The more you can have a combined budget, the more flexibility you have. You may collectively decide to assign $x to each category as a benchmark guideline for yourselves, but if circumstances change, you can revisit the decision and re-allocate. If you start with a line item budget, you can't. In one place I worked, we used to wait with certain serials and then buy the back issues out of monographs as a one-time purchase to get around the fact that we didn't have enough $ in the serials line.

Aline

Aline Soules
Cal State East Bay
510-885-4596
aline.soules@csueastbay.edu

Patricia R. Thompson
Assistant University Librarian for Resource Management Services
duPont Library
University of the South
Sewanee, TN 37383
931-598-1657
pthompso@sewanee.edu