Proposal to freeze Library and Local Government Support Fund in Ohio

Citation

Fitzsimons, E. (2001), "Proposal to freeze Library and Local Government Support Fund in Ohio", The Bottom Line, Vol. 14 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2001.17014bab.008

Proposal to freeze Library and Local Government Support Fund in Ohio

Proposal to freeze Library and Local Government Support Fund in Ohio

Keywords: Local government, Public libraries, Education, Funding

Dateline: State of Ohio

In other parts of the country, things are not quite so rosy. Ohio public libraries are expected to suffer in a two-year, state-government-spending plan announced by Governor Bob Taft. Part of this unanticipated plan is a proposal to freeze the Library and Local Government Support Fund at current levels. The fund, which provided about $507 million this fiscal year, is one of three funds that receive percentages of state revenue from state taxes. Taft's plan also includes a $15-million cut to the Ohio Public Library Information Network. On the other hand, 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 chosen the wrong place to save money. Libraries are "one of the heaviest-used public entities, and it's hard to turn that spigot on and off", she said. 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. State legislators will decide how much money libraries must forfeit to balance the state budget. http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2001/010205.html#ohiobudget