"The State Library of Ohio is moving in a positive direction, as court battles over funding for U.S. libraries end, and the state gets recognized as the top state in library circulation.
The State Library of Ohio is a state agency that houses and preserves state founding documents and historical artifacts, and also distributes federal funding for things like statewide digital materials and other resources.
“When our children fall in love with a great book, federal funds helped a library do that; when historians explain our shared state history, a federally-funded library project helped with that, too,” State Librarian Mandy Knapp told the Capital Journal.
The funding the library receives comes through the Library Services and Technology Act, distributed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. According to institute statistics released this week by data analysis organization USA Facts, Ohio had the highest library circulation per person in both physical and electronic materials in 2023. It was also the third highest state in library visits per person, and most library cards per person, according to the data.
The institute is a federal entity that was up for elimination since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, as part of an early effort by the non-governmental Department of Government Efficiency to slash federal spending."
