Author
Donald Coney
Bio: Donald Coney is an academic researcher. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 11 citations.
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TL;DR: An overview of how university libraries research and adapt new cost accounting models, such as “activity-based costing” (ABC) and “time-driven activity- based costing’ (TDABC), focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of both methods to determine which of these two is suitable for application in university libraries.
Abstract: Objective – This article provides an overview of how university libraries research and adapt new cost accounting models, such as “activity-based costing” (ABC) and “time-driven activity-based costing” (TDABC), focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of both methods to determine which of these two is suitable for application in university libraries.
Methods – This paper reviews and summarizes the literature on cost accounting and costing practices of university libraries. A brief overview of the history of cost accounting, costing, and time and motion studies in libraries is also provided. The ABC and the TDABC method, designed as a revised and easier version of the ABC by Kaplan and Anderson (Kaplan & Anderson 2004) at the beginning of the 21st century, as well as the adoption and adaptation of these methods by university libraries are described, and their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their suitability for university libraries, are analyzed.
Results – Cost accounting and costing studies in libraries have a long history, the first of these dating back to 1877. The development of cost accounting and time and motion studies can be seen as a natural evolution of techniques which were created to solve management problems. The ABC method is the best-known management accounting innovation of the last 20 years, and is already widely used in university libraries around the world. However, setting up an ABC system can be very costly, and the system needs to be regularly updated, which further increases its costs. The TDABC system can not only be implemented more quickly (and thus more cheaply), but also can be updated more easily than the traditional ABC, which makes the TDABC the more suitable method for university libraries.
Conclusion – Both methods are suitable for university libraries. However, the ABC method can only be implemented in collaboration with an accounting department. The TDABC method can be tested and implemented by separate departments, and thus can contribute to the provision of better and more effective library services at lower costs. However, the involvement of experts in costing and accounting is recommended.
20 citations
TL;DR: The TDABC approach was used to analyze the acquisition process in university libraries and covered acquisition processes such as receipt of orders, ordering documents and sheet music.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to mainly find out how well is time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) suits for a university library setting in Estonia. For this purpose, all activities related to acquisitions process were identified and recorded in detail, and the cost of all these activities related to acquisition process in Estonian university libraries based on the example of the TDABC method were anlyzed. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of the different cost accounting methods suitable for the measurement of the acquisition process. Through a case study, conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the acquisition process in university libraries. More specifically, the acquisition process studied concerned print format books, audiovisual documents and sheet music, and covered acquisition processes such as receipt of orders, ordering documents,...
12 citations
TL;DR: It can be said that the acquisitions procedure is more labor-intensive than any other library procedure both historically and nowadays.
Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on the history and new developments of the optimization and analysis of acquisitions costs More specifically, the acquisition cost and time optimization methods studied concern primarily print format books Though e-books have begun to be developed more and more, the print format books – both scientific books and textbooks – are still very important for university libraries and continue to pour into acquisition activities Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this paper are based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the different concepts of the budget allocation and cost accounting methods suitable for the optimizing cost and time of the acquisition process Different methods are described via reviewing example studies Findings – On the basis of the current study, it can be said that the acquisitions procedure is more labor-intensive than any other library procedure both historically and nowadays Nonetheless, the routine
12 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on the history of cost accounting, costing, and time and motion studies, which were initially developed for industry and private sector organisations, in libraries, and attempt to deal with the question of when and why the need for the evaluation of costs and the standardisation of different library work processes emerged.
Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this paper is to focus on the history of cost accounting, costing, and time and motion studies, which were initially developed for industry and private sector organisations, in libraries. At the same time, the article attempts to deal with the question of when and why the need for the evaluation of costs and the standardisation of different library work processes emerged.Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarising relevant studies, which have been conducted in libraries, and was inspired by the ideas of scientific management and cost accounting.Findings – The implementation of cost accounting systems and scientific management ideas in libraries has historically been treated as a technical innovation rather than an organisational or management innovation. The most important consideration is that librarians are not machines, which can be set at a given speed and expected to produce a uniform product. Fortunately, there is no indicatio...
11 citations
TL;DR: Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) as discussed by the authors helps libraries to get a better picture of the cataloging activities that they are actually engaged in, and their costs, through a case study conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the activities of cataloging process in two university libraries.
Abstract: In the current socioeconomic climate, efficiency and performance have become very important in libraries. The need for library managers to justify their costs to their parent organizations has become particularly important. Time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) helps libraries to get a better picture of the cataloging activities that they are actually engaged in, and their costs. This article reviews the relevant literature to provide an overview of different cost accounting methods suitable for the measurement of the cataloging process. Then, through a case study conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the activities of cataloging process in two university libraries.
4 citations