Anyone whose job involves dealing with library technology, either paying for it or maintaining it, has likely given some thoughts to the president-elect's vow to impose tariffs on imported goods. The proposed tariffs are more sweeping than he was able to accomplish in his first term. The most repeated promises are a 60%-110% tariff on Chinese goods, and a tax of between 10% and 20% on every imported product. In a report published just before the election by the Consumer Technology Association, the proposed tariffs could lead to the following price increases for some of the technology that libraries often buy.
- 45% for laptops and tablets
- 31.2% for monitors
- 6.2% for desktop computers
- 10.9% for computer accessories, such as speakers, headphones, printers, and scanners
Of course, specific impacts on individual libraries could vary greatly based on the institution's purchasing power and contracts with suppliers. It seems likely, though, that most libraries would see increases, with smaller libraries being hit proportionally harder. It's also conceivable that library resource providers, print and electronic, could increase prices to offset their own growing technology costs.
There are some obvious things libraries could do now to mitigate these likely increases to their technology costs.
- Buy now, before the tariffs have a chance to go into effect. If resources are available, buy new or upgraded technology now to avoid paying more later.
- Negotiate with suppliers. If possible, speak to vendor representatives about extending contracts or agreements at current, or marginally higher, costs to avoid larger increases in the coming years. If applicable, make sure any maintenance contracts with vendors are up to date to cover repairs and avoid having to purchase replacement devices.
- Make do with current technology. Investigate strategies to increase the life of the technology already bought and paid for. Work with the institution's IT professionals to strategize how to make current devices run better and last longer. These recent articles offer some easy tips on how to extend the life of devices:
