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 societal 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 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.

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.

A chart of the FY2012 library appropriations is available here.

On June 10, 2011 a “Dear Colleague” letter (pdf) was circulated by Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) in support of funding for LSTATE and the Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program.  The letter was addressed to the Senate Labor, health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittees and requests that the Senate increase funding to LSTA and Improving Literacy Through School Libraries in FY 2012.

Senate (27)

Reed – RI
Snowe – ME
Levin – MI
Rockefeller – WV
Leahy – VT
Udall, Tom – NM
Schumer – NY
Boxer – CA
Akaka – HI
Whitehouse – RI
Gillibrand – NY
Johnson, Tim – SD
Shaheen – NH
Sanders – VT
Lautenberg – NJ
Mikulski – MD
Kerry – MA
Cardin – MD
Kohl – WI
Menendez – NJ
Durbin – IL
Wyden – OR
Merkley – OR
Bingaman – NM
Stabenow – MI
Blumenthal – CT
Begich – AK

On March 19, 2011 two “Dear Colleague” letters also circulated around the U.S. House of Representatives. One letter (pdf) was asking for $232 million for LSTA and the other (pdf) was asking for $19.1 million for Improving Literacy Through School Libraries in FY 2012.

LSTA - 29

Raul M. Grijalva – Arizona, 7th
Rush Holt – New Jersey, 12th
Eddie Bernice Johnson – Texas, 30th
Gregorio Sablan – Northern Marian Islands, at large
Mazie Hirono – Hawaii, 2nd
Gary Peters – Michigan, 9th
David Loebasck – Iowa, 2nd
Ed Perlmutter – Colorado, 7th
David Wu – Oregon, 1st
Gwen Moore – Wisconsin, 4th
Steven Rothman – New Jersey, 9th
Maurice Hinchey – New York, 22nd
Earl Blumenauer – Oregon, 3rd
Linda Sanchez – California, 39th
Bob Filner – California, 51st
Dennis Kucinich – Ohio, 10th
John Yarmuth – Kentucky, 3rd
Jerry McNerney – California, 11th
Steve Cohen – Tennessee, 9th
Ben Ray Lujan – New Mexico, 3rd
David Cicilline – Rhode Island, 1st
Andre Carson – Indiana, 7th
Peter Welch – Vermont, at large
Lynn Woolsey – California, 7th
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger – Maryland, 2nd
Ted Deutch – Florida, 19th
James McGovern – Massachusetts, 3rd
Adam Schiff – California, 29th
Bill Pascrell – New Jersey, 8th

Improving Literacy Through School Libraries-21

Raul M. Grijalva – Arizona, 7th
Rush Holt – New Jersey, 12th
Eddie Bernice Johnson – Texas, 30th
Mazie Hirono – Hawaii, 2nd
Gregorio Sablan – Northern Marian Islands, at large
David Loebasck – Iowa, 2nd
David Wu – Oregon, 1st
Jared Polis - Colorado, 2nd
Bob Filner – California, 51st
Dennis Kucinich – Ohio, 10th
John Yarmuth – Kentucky, 3rd
Mike Capuano - Massachusetts, 8th
Ben Ray Lujan – New Mexico, 3rd
David Cicilline – Rhode Island, 1st
Andre Carson – Indiana, 7th
Chris Van Hollen – Maryland, 8th
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger – Maryland, 2nd
James McGovern – Massachusetts, 3rd
Bill Pascrell – New Jersey, 8th
Bruce Braley – Iowa, 1st

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