Iowa public libraries passed a funding milestone on May 25 when Gov. Tom Vilsack signed into law legislation providing the first-ever state-level library support. Dubbed Enrich Iowa Libraries, the $700,000 initiative was three years in the making, and considerably pared down from the $3-million initial outlay library advocates had sought.
The landmark legislation is packaged into a $918-million education bill that includes a hike of $21 million for community colleges, the University of Iowa, and other programs.
Acknowledging that the funding was only a “minimal beginning level,” Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack asserted after the signing ceremony that the support would nonetheless bolster “libraries [as] the souls of our communities in Iowa.” Her sentiments are apparently shared by her husband: The governor told the May 25 Cedar Rapids Gazette after signing the legislation that if “people begin to see the benefits accruing to communities” from state-level support, “there will be an effort to continue to increase the funding.”
Posted May 31, 1999.