The well-being of libraries seems to be on the minds of the governors of California and Maryland, both of whom are calculating how to expend state revenue surpluses.
Claiming that California has finished rebounding from its prolonged recession, Governor Pete Wilson said in his state of the state address January 7 that he'd push for "a series of infrastructure bonds on the June and November ballots to provide for needs ranging from parks and playgrounds to college libraries and dormitories."
Five days later, Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening announced he'd like to spend an extra $3.2 million on school libraries statewide, as part of a $61-million initiative to bolster schools in poorer communities, according to a January 13 Washington Post story.
Both proposals are in the spirit of South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Jim Hodges's proposal to spend an anticipated $68 million surplus there on school library collections, the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer reported December 17.
Posted January 19, 1998.