Libraries gear up for budget battle

SANDUSKY — Thanks to generous state funding, Ohio is generally thought to have the best public libraries in the U.S. But as lawmakers work on the state's next two-year budget, library officials statewide are wondering if that will continue. State funding was cut in the last budget cycle, and it isn't clear yet what lawmakers will do this time. A huge drop Libraries took a hit in state funding during the last budget cycle, said Jay Smith, director of Government and Legal Services for the Ohio Library Council, which represents state libraries. Smith looked to two year-over-year trends: • In the calendar year, from 2023 to 2024, libraries experienced a $26.8 million decrease • In the fiscal year, from 2023 to 2024, libraries experienced a $13.9 million drop "This means the state essentially funded public libraries at the same level they did 25 years ago," Smith said. Libraries have to deal with the same inflationary pressures as anyone else, Smith said. "Unfortunately, like many others, our libraries are experiencing drastic increases in costs with no inflationary adjustment in our state funding — all while patron usage is increasing, and the demand for local services is growing and expanding," Smith said. Because funding in Ohio remains relatively generous compared to other states, libraries in Ohio are able to provide impressive offerings to library patrons. The local impact Sandusky Library — which serves Perkins Township, Kelleys Island and other local areas as well as Sandusky itself — regularly buys new books and other library materials. Its online offerings via services — such as Hoopla, Libby and Kanopy — include movies and TV shows that can be streamed at home, audiobooks that can be played on smartphones, lots of music spanning multiple genres and digital magazines. Sandusky Library patrons accessing the "research and learn" portion of the library's website also can do research in various databases, learn a foreign language and get homework help. Offerings in libraries serving big cities are also impressive. The benefits of having a library card for Cuyahoga County Public Library include free access to the digital versions of the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. Like many libraries in Ohio, Cuyahoga County provides library cards to any Ohio resident and not just local residents. But libraries could face tough decisions if state funding falls because many rely on state funding for a big chunk of their budget. For example, Sandusky Library received 45% of its funding in 2024 from the state's Public Library Fund. Bellevue's public library gets 64% of its funding from the fund. Under current law, libraries get 1.7% of the state's general revenue fund. Gov. Mike DeWine has proposed boosting library funding by raising that to 1.75%. "We appreciate Gov. DeWine making public libraries a priority in his budget proposal and we believe it is a step in the right direction," Smith said. On the other hand, it has been claimed on social media that some Republican members of the Ohio General Assembly want to cut off all state funding of public libraries. "I haven't seen any formal actions taken at this point to decrease or possibly eliminate the (Public Library Fund). However, (the Ohio Library Council) is encouraging library leadership to communicate with their state legislators about the importance of public libraries and educate them on how they are funded," Smith said. State Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, told the Register he doubts libraries will be hammered in the new budget. "I have every confidence we'll figure it out," he said. Molly Carver, director of Sandusky Library, said she's paying attention to the discussions. "We are in the very early stages of budget negotiations with legislators and not involving the public at this point," she wrote in a recent email to the Register.