Mary Frances McGowan, cleveland.com; Ohio’s libraries could face hard choices next year after 2025 budget cuts
"“They’re going to continue to do that to the best of their ability, but it is going to make providing these services more difficult, especially in a time when the demand for services is growing, and the expectation of local citizens is growing and expanding.”
The state budget Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law in June removed the longstanding funding formula that gave libraries a percentage of the state’s revenue fund, replacing it with discretionary line-item appropriations.
While funding was never inherently guaranteed -- library advocates had to testify in Columbus every two years to explain how they were using taxpayer funds -- but as a percentage of the state revenue, it was a solid funding source.
The comparative instability of the new formula is worrying for libraries. Future legislatures or gubernatorial administrations could reduce funding without warning — a big shift for institutions that have long relied on stability."
