Financial Literacy in a Post-COVID World
14-Week Asynchronous ALA Course
(includes 2 one-week breaks for the holidays)
Course Description
The economic impact of the pandemic is staggering, and with budget cuts seeming inevitable, the ability to manage your library’s changing finances is essential. In this eCourse, library finance expert Sean Gaffney leads you through both the theory and the best practices of strategic financial resource management.
You’ll learn about concepts like revenue models, types of budgets, internal controls, resource allocation, financial planning, and acquiring outside resources, but all topics will be addressed with an eye toward updating budgets during times of declining revenue as well as advocacy for increased support from the community during times of uncertainty.
This course is for both experienced and new library managers, supervisors, directors, and other leaders who wish to gain a better understanding of how to develop and manage budgets, particularly in times of uncertainty. No previous experience with financial management is required.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this eCourse, participants will be able to:
- Understand basic accounting and budgeting conventions
- Evaluate financial resources
- Use a range of models and approaches to solve financial resources problems such as developing a budget, revising a budget, and gaining budget approval
- Understand the impact of declining resources on library budgets and services
- Identify viable alternative solutions and actions and recognize the consequence of their implementation
Presenter: Sean Gaffney
Sean Gaffney has taught at the School of Information at San José State University since 2008. His area of expertise is library management and administration. Sean teaches courses in Library Financial Management, Project Management, Library Professions, and Using Social Media for Competitive and Company Research. Sean holds an MLIS from Kent State University, a Certificate in Advanced Study in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Leo University. Sean is also a Certified Public Accountant (Illinois) and a Certified Management Accountant. He currently consults in the areas of project management, library administration, and financial analysis and is a Lecturer for San José State University’s School of Information. Sean lives in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.