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Monthly Library Funding Breaking News

March 2008

Cheyenne, Wyoming – (March 4, 2008) The Wyoming House of Representatives passed Senate File 29, which would create a $7.3 million endowment for 23 public libraries throughout the state. While the measure passed the first reading in the House, some representatives disagreed with the three-tiered matching arrangement, saying that it was unfair in that some libraries will get a $1 to $ 1 match, while others would get $2-3 dollars per dollar raised, depending on a given library's county. – From the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle

Spokane, Washington – (March 1, 2008) Fund our Future Washington, a parent-organized grassroots advocacy group announced that the state has approved $4.4 million in funding to keep school libraries across Washington. The first time a line-item for school libraries has ever been incorporated in legislation in state history, the group is now looking to focus their efforts on obtaining a permanent solution for funding and pressuring decision-makers to include school libraries in the overall school funding formula. – From Fund Our Future Washington

February 2008

 American Libraries Direct - Coverage of 2/8 "Spokane Moms" rally in Olympia, Washington

January 2008

Seattle, Wash. (January 20, 2008): Due to funding issues, the quality of Seattle-area school libraries’ services have suffered in terms of staffing and programming. Offerings like story hour are endangered as librarians’ positions are expanded to include technology coordination and administration of standardized testing, as library aide jobs are slashed. School librarians in Washington are often forced to work extra, uncompensated hours in order to ensure their facilities are adequately stocked and ready to engage students. The loss of time librarians ideally would have to devote to developing quality collections, teaching about literature and research, have been sacrificed in favor of new expanded responsibilities made necessary by elimination of support staff. Librarians cite that such diminishing of service serves to make libraries less relevant and will decrease the overall quality of education. In the face of these troubling trends, advocacy groups are standing up for libraries in Washington. From established groups like the Washington Library Media Association to the grassroots advocacy effort started by concerned parents in Spokane, parents and librarians are speaking out in favor of well-funded, well-staffed school libraries. – From The Seattle Times

Providence, Rhode Island – (January 9, 2008) – In the face of continuing funding woes, the Providence Public Library (PPL) is considering laying off seven children’s librarians this spring. Those positions have been the subject of debate over the past several months, and city officials knew of the lack of funding for them since summer 2007. At that time, the city pressed PPL to move $250,000 originally slated for pensions towards salaries to prevent the layoffs. Now, the library says that that money will run out in May and, barring any additional funding being found, those seven positions will be cut in March. – From The Providence Journal 

December 2007

Spokane, Wash. (December 23, 2007): A group of concerned parents in Spokane, Washington have joined forces to oppose budget and staffing cuts in school libraries. In the face of school districts opting to lay off librarians, cut hours, minimize programming, and combine jobs with minimally trained part-time staff to cut costs, the parents started a grassroots initiative which eventually became a statewide campaign to preserve quality school library media services.  

Maintaining that education suffers when librarians are not part of the school education process, the parents took action, emailing everyone they knew about an online petition, posting flyers around town, and advertised on online social networking sites. In addition, they gave presentations to educators in the community as well as maintained a presence at school board meetings. For expenses, they used personal funds, in addition to selling T-shirts to pay for lobbying trips to the state capital in Olympia, where this month (December) they hand-delivered 2,500 signatures to a state government committee investigating Washington state’s obsolete school funding system.

Accustomed to professional lobbyists and official representatives of educational organizations, state legislators embraced the group and found their efforts to be forceful and focused. Republican state Representative Skip Priest stated that “librarians embody what is important for education,” continuing on to say, “(the parents) gave people an opportunity to say, ‘yes, this is important.’ That is special – not unique, but it’s unusual, because here is a couple of concerned parents who are doing more than writing or emailing. They’re expressing views clearly and forcefully and providing a website so that others who agree can express their views as well.”