SWAN membership fees and budget are approved by member library directors or administrators at the membership meeting held in March of each year. The following documents outline the current budget and financial contributions of member libraries. SWAN Business Manager sends membership fees out quarterly-- January, April, July, and October. Other one-time fees or group-purchase arrangements will be sent to member libraries, which includes the reimbursement or invoicing for unreturned material borrowed via ILL or as reciprocal borrowers.
Upcoming budget & membership fees
Upcoming Budget Fiscal Year 2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026) Budget, reserves & fees
Current budget & membership fees
Fiscal Year 2025 (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) Budget, reserves, and fees
Prior Year Budget & Membership Fees
Fiscal Year 2024 (July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024) Budget, reserves, and fees
Budget archives
Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023) Budget, Fees, EBSCO Group-Purchase, and Reserves
Fiscal Year 2022 (July 1, 2021 - June 30, 2022) Budget, Fees, EBSCO Group-Purchase, and Reserves
Fiscal Year 2021 (July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021) Budget, Fees, EBSCO Group-Purchase, and Reserves
Fiscal Year 2020 (July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020) Budget, Fees, EBSCO Group-Purchase, and Reserves
Explanation of Membership Fees
The goal of the SWAN fee formula is (1) Resource sharing, and (2) Sustainability. Using these as our guiding principles, the fee formula utilizes specific metrics that could measure the contribution to resource sharing to the consortium and identify tactics that are sustainable. We define sustainable as a consistent, verifiable metric, and in addition, a metric that is well-grounded within a membership fee formula for SWAN’s foreseeable future.
Academic Libraries
The academic membership fee is based on a similar model as CARLI’s I-Share membership fee. We believe this is equitable for these institutions. Comparable pricing helps reinforce the importance of the academic I-Share consortium by eliminating competition for library members based solely on cost.
1) Student Population (IBHE Profile), rounded to nearest 1,000 X 2
2) Item Count rounded to nearest 1,000 / 3
Data on student population is gathered from the Illinois Board of Higher Education website via IBHE under the institution profile.
School Libraries
School membership in SWAN will require a formal partnership with a public library in SWAN. This partnership will ensure sustainability and balanced use of consortium support, while facilitating year-round library use for students affiliated with those schools.
1) Student Population (Illinois Report Card), rounded to nearest 1000 X 5
2) Building Location/Branch Fee $2,500 per building
Data for student population is gathered from the Illinois Report Card.
Special Libraries
Special libraries’ contribution to the consortium is primarily titles in print, which is why this metric was used.
1) Title Fee (Tier 1 <10,000 $7,500; Tier 2 <40,000 $10,000; Tier 3 > 40,000 $12,500)
2) Building Location/Branch Fee $2,500 per building
Public Libraries
Public libraries represent the majority of member institutions in SWAN. The goal of a Base Fee is to ensure all public libraries pay an amount sustainable to the consortium. The Public Library Fee is based on what the library can afford based on “income” i.e. tax revenue.
1) Base Fee, based on 50% needed SWAN revenue from public libraries
2) Public Library Fee, based on Property Tax Income as a percentage of remaining 50% of needed SWAN revenue from public libraries. The amount of annual bond payments in non-operating debt service will be removed from the Property Tax Income amount.
3) LLSAP Grant Award Discount, based on the total amount of LLSAP funding divided by the count of public libraries in SWAN
The calculation for public libraries will change each fiscal year in SWAN depending on required revenue. The calculations below will change depending on the number of public libraries and the total property tax data.
| Public Library Calculation Chart Example | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWAN Budget Revenue Needed from Public Libraries $3,196,800 Example Estimate | % Formula for SWAN Public Library | Total Amount of Revenue Needed per Calculation | Formula | Cost Per count |
| Base Consortium Fee (All public libraries pay) | 50% of $3,196,800 = | $1,598,400 | $1,598,400 divided by 91 public libraries = | $17,565 per library |
| Public Library Formula (Tax Revenue with Debt Service Removed) | 50% of $3,196,800 = | $1,598,400 | $1,598,400 divided by $165,766,391.51* in total tax revenue = | $0.00964 per property tax dollars received |
| * $165,766,391.51 is the total amount of taxes paid to public libraries in 2016. | ||||
| Public Library Example | ||
|---|---|---|
| Base Fee (all public libraries pay | $17,565 | |
| Public Library Fee (based on county tax) | County tax paid to this library is $1,063,259.16 X $0.00964 | $10,252 |
| LLSAP Grant Award Discount | ($6,582) | |
| Public Library Fee Total | $21,235 | |
County Property Tax Data
The formula uses property tax for what is collected, not what is levied. Each county treasurer provides the data online or an option to request this information via FOIA. The intention will be to average this data over rolling three years. For the first year of this formula only the 2015 data was used. The use of a 3-year average will mitigate property tax changes due to library capital expenses such as a bond payment for building renovations.
Cook County Tax Payments
Source: Cook Country Treasurer
Website: https://foia.cookcountytreasurer.com/
Data collected: FOIA request for SWAN public libraries
DuPage County Tax Payments
Source: DuPage County Treasurer
Website: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/elected_officials/treasurer/
Data collected: Tax year payments distributed in calendar year
Kane County Tax Payments
Source: Kane County Treasurer
Website: http://www.kanecountytreasurer.org/
Data collected: Final Settlement Sheet Tax Year, Distribution Summary
Will County Tax Extension
Source: Will County Clerk
Website: https://willcounty.gov/County-Offices/Finance-and-Revenue/Treasurer-Office/Taxing-Districts
Data collected: Levy Statement of Account of Current Taxes Collected and Distributed.
Debt Service
Public libraries that have a non-operating debt service should submit the payment schedule to SWAN, such as a bond payment used for library facility renovation or construction. Reporting this debt schedule is the responsibility of the library, and any renegotiated debt should be reported, otherwise SWAN will use the amount reported prior. Libraries should submit the debt payment schedule to SWAN via the Support website at the link below.
LLSAP Funding Award
SWAN’s status as an official LLSAP of RAILS results in State funding directed towards library resource sharing in Illinois. LLSAP funding is presented as a membership fee discount or an “award.” The use of this LLSAP Funding Award within the fee chart allows SWAN libraries to have an idea of what membership fees would be without LLSAP funding (see the “No State Funding” column of the public library fee chart). The use of the LLSAP Funding Award within the chart highlights the contribution of State LLSAP funding and its value to each public library within SWAN.