Ohio public libraries are expected to take the biggest hit in a two-year, state-government spending plan announced on January 29 by Governor Bob Taft that incorporates a proposal to freeze the Library and Local Government Support Fund at current levels.
The unanticipated move includes a $15-million cut to the Ohio Public Library Information Network. Ironically, the governor had proposed $808 million in new education spending that added $29.5 million for his OhioReads initiative.
Lynda Murray of the Ohio Library Council told the Akron Beacon Journal that Taft has picked the wrong target. Libraries are “one of the heaviest-used public entities, and it’s hard to turn that spigot on and off,” Murray said.
The fund, which provided about $507 million statewide this fiscal year, is one of three funds that receive percentages of state revenue from state taxes. About three-quarters of Ohio’s public libraries receive a majority of their funding from the state. The rest use a combination of state and local funding. It will be up to state legislators to determine how much money libraries must forfeit to balance the state budget.
Posted February 5, 2001.