Federal Funding

Contact Us
 Lynne Bradley
Director, Office of Government Relations
202-628-8410
lbradley@alawash.org;

What is Federal Funding?

Quite simply, funding is money. Federal funding is the money for libraries that comes from the U.S. Government. The majority of federal library program funds are distributed through the Institute of Museum and Library Services to each state. The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) is part of the annual Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill.

In addition to lobbying for LSTA funds, the ALA's Washington Office specifically communicates to Congress about the importance of funding federal libraries - like the Library of Congress, the National Agricultural Library, the National Library of Medicine, etc. - as well as programs in the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. We also lobby for increases for adult education and literacy. In addition, we look for opportunities for libraries of all kinds to become involved in education programs like those for early childhood education.

For information on the federal funding process works, visit our  Primer on the Budget Resolution and the Legislative Process.

For information on how libraries benefit from the recently passed American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, please visit the ALA Washington Office's American Recovery & Reinvestment Act 101 page.

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Why this issue matters to libraries    

Libraries of all kinds need money. The amount of funding that a library receives directly influences the quality of its services. While the majority of funding for libraries comes from state and local sources, federal funding provides critical assistance, giving libraries across the country the financial support they need to serve their communities.

For the past several years, the federal budget has been hard on domestic programs.  Libraries have seen cuts to the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and many other programs that benefit libraries have been severely cut or in some cases terminated.  We follow these other programs as well, because libraries are just one part of a much bigger picture that includes education, the humanities, the arts, and many other important social functions.

What follows are several programs that ALA supports that have been negatively affected by the federal budget. ALA feel that these programs are important enough for our members to know more about and take an active interest in saving:

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Recent Legislative Background    

On February 13, 2012, President Barack Obama sent his FY 2013 budget request to Congress, outlining his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and starting the legislative work on drafting and passing a federal budget for next year.  In the President’s budget request he asks for level funding of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) at the FY 2012 level of $184.7 million.  

The President’s request however, neglects to include funding for the Innovative Approaches to Literacy.  This is $28.6 million that Congress included in the FY 2012 Consolidated Appropriations Act under the Funding for the Improvement of Education (FIE) after Improving Literacy Through School Libraries had not been funded since FY 2010.  Instead of including direct funds in his budget request for literacy and school libraries the President chose to consolidate Improving Literacy Through School Libraries with five other Department of Education literacy programs for $187 million.  This means school libraries will be competing with these other literacy programs for that pot of money instead of having a direct appropriations line.

Now that the President has released his budget request, Congress can begin drafting the budget for FY 2013.  With this being an election year, the time line is unclear.  However, it is likely that Congress will mark-up (vote out of committee) appropriations bills sometime this summer.  The current fiscal year expires at the end of September.

On December 23, 2011 President Barack Obama signed a $915 billion spending bill into law that would fund the majority of the federal government for FY 2012.  This massive budget bill, that was passed by the House with a 296-121 vote on December 16 and cleared the Senate on December 17 with a 67-32 vote, will be the year-long spending for the Military Construction-VA, Defense, Energy-Water, Financial Services, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch and State-Foreign Operations.  A FY ‘12 budget bill had previously been passed for Agriculture, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Transportation subcommittees in November 2011. This most recently passed FY’12 budget bill contains many library programs including money for school libraries, the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), and the Government Printing Office (GPO).

After Congress zeroed out funding to Improving Literacy Through School Libraries for FY 2011, both the Senate and House recognized in FY '12 that they cut the primary source of federal funding to school libraries. In the new federal budget, congress appropriated $28.6 million for literacy. A minimum of half, or $14.3 million must go to low income school libraries while the rest of the money will go towed national not-for-profits that work for childhood literacy. The U.S. Department of Education has named this program Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) and will be releasing grant application guidelines soon.

This budget appropriates money for the Institutes of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which includes $185 million for LSTA funding. This is a 2.3 percent cut from the FY ’11 amount of $189 million. Under LSTA; Grants to States was appropriated at $156.6 million, Native American Library Services was funded at $3.8 million, National Leadership for Libraries was funded at $11.9 million, and the Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian was received $12.5 million in FY ‘12.

The 2012 federal fiscal year will end on September 30, 2012.

On March 20, 2012 two "Dear Colleague" letters were sent to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. One of these letters (pdf), that was sponsored by Representatives Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) and included 45 other signatures from Members of Congress asked for the committee to fund LSTA at $184.7 million in FY' 2013. Likewise, another letter (pdf) was sent to the Appropriations Committee with 120 signatures and sponsored by Reps. James McGovern (D-MA), Don Young (R-AK), Holt and Grijalva. This letter asked the committee to appropriate $28.6 million for Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). View the signatories to these letters (pdf).

Just like in the House, there were also two letters asking for library funding that were sent to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee with bi-partisan support. The first letter (pdf), sent by Sens Jack Reed (D-RI) and Olympia Snow (R-ME) with 32 other signatures asked for $184.7 million for LSTA in FY 2013. The second letter (pdf) that was sent by Sens. Reed, Snowe, Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Rodger Wicker (R-MS), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and 35 other members asked the committee for $28.6 million for Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL). View the signatories to these letters (pdf).

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