1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

On April 1st, the Ohio House of Representatives released its proposed budget. In it, they recommend eliminating the Public Library Fund, a fund protected by law and responsible for the majority of Ohio’s public library funding. Ohio’s public libraries have had a partnership with the state to deliver services at the local level for almost 100 years. This proposal wants to remove the protection of law and make library funding a lump-sum dollar amount in the State’s overall budget, making it much easier for legislators to cut funding for libraries in the future. If this proposal passes, it means $100 million LESS for Ohio public Libraries over the next two years and NO GUARANTEE OF FUNDING after 2027. The unprecedented elimination of the Public Library Fund comes at a time when libraries across the state already saw a $27 million shortfall in state funding in 2024. Ohio's libraries are currently funded at the same level we were in the year 2000 with no adjustment for inflation. Since then, our community has grown while the cost of library resources and services has increased, and we have evolved to serve our patrons. We rely on funding from the state's Public Library Fund to support not just operations, but the library collections, resources, programs and services our community relies on. This includes: Library of Things Collection Digital Collections Early Literacy Programs Patron Clubs & Programming Homebound & Outreach Services and so much more... Eliminating the Public Library Fund and replacing it with the same level of funding libraries received 25 years ago is a threat to all library programs, resources and services.If this passes, libraries in 39 counties would lose their funding starting July 1st of this year. This is unacceptable. Libraries are the cornerstone of every community, and we are proud to serve the community that has always supported us. Restore government funding for the good of our communities and for the future of our state.