The West Virginia Library Commission has found itself in the awkward position of having to spend $1.2 million by June 30 or lose it.
Commission members learned April 16 that when the state legislature gave the commission the money for computer hardware and software upgrades from surplus lottery proceeds, they failed to allow unspent funds to roll over to the next fiscal year, the Charleston Daily Mail reported. Grant applications are being taken from libraries, with a June 15 cutoff date.
The commission hopes to develop a computer network linking the state's public libraries. The newspaper said that some librarians expressed concern that the funds would have to be spent exclusively with VTLS, which is used by 93 of the state's 99 systems. However, Commission Director David Price said that although VTLS is the dominant system, "until we build a network, I'm not advocating any vendor at this point."
Posted April 27, 1998.