Don’t Cut Ohio Libraries: Contact Your State Representatives!
Contact Your State Representatives!
On April Fools Day the Ohio library community was notified that the Ohio House introduced their version of the proposed state budget (HB 96). In that version, the amount of funding going to Ohio’s public libraries was drastically cut–by more than $100 million. Although Tuesday was a fun day with jokes and pranks, I can assure you that this facet of the proposed budget is no joke. What the public may not realize is that the proposed House budget eliminates something called the Public Library Fund. Since the 1930’s, we could count on stable funding because we had a relationship with the state. The Public Library Fund (PLF) is a manifestation of that relationship; a tangible symbol of how Ohio valued its public libraries. The PLF is a set percentage of the General Revenue Fund and has been the difference maker for Ohio’s libraries. The proposal to kill the PLF and to implement line item funding into the budget for libraries makes all libraries more vulnerable. It makes it easy to cut funding in the future and makes libraries susceptible to whoever is in power at the time. What the public also may not know, is that public libraries in Ohio are operating on the same state funding levels we had 25 years ago.
Our elected officials in the Ohio Legislature, Representative Jodi Salvo (District 51) and Senator Al Landis (District 31) have been great supporters of our public libraries. Senator Landis has done guest storytimes at our library and was instrumental in helping the Dover Public Library secure OTSCIF funds (One-Time Strategic Investment Fund) that helped pay for a new roof on our library. Representative Salvo has been holding regular “Community Round Tables” at our library to listen to constituents, answer questions, and to just be available. I can tell you this: regardless of political party, both Rep. Salvo and Senator Landis care about Tuscarawas County probably more than you do. I can also tell you that they will fight for Tuscarawas County and that their job is not easy. Everyone is asking for funding right now, including schools, libraries, and everyone in between.
At a recent “Community Round Table” on a Saturday morning as Rep. Salvo listened and answered questions and took her fair share of heat from the public, I could not help but notice that the activity in the library that day was a great example of what public libraries are all about. I always say our library strives to be the “front porch of the community.” When people enter our library they cross floor mats that feature our library logo, which is in the shape of a tree. The leaves of the tree are made up of people, and above the logo are the words “Free to the People.” That concept motivates me each and every day. In the public library, it doesn’t matter what your last name is, how much money you have or don’t have, what church you go to, or what kind of person you were in high school. Everyone is treated fairly and access and use of the library is completely free. As Rep. Salvo answered a tough question about school funding, I noticed a librarian helping a patron check out a book while another librarian was helping a patron who had an issue with their smartphone. At about that time, there were people coming in holding ukuleles as it was Ukulele Jam Day. Did you know you can check out a ukulele at the library and learn how to play it? At the Round Table, our elected official was available to the public–not hiding in Columbus. This was democracy in front of our eyes! A moment later a huge line of children and parents came up from the Children’s Room heading to the Community Room for our library’s annual Dino Dig event where little ones can play amateur paleontologists and learn about dinosaurs and dig for bones. Downstairs in The Book Cellar, a bookshop with over 5,000 volumes that is run by the Friends of the Library-a 501(c)3 non-profit– volunteers stock shelves and answer questions and help people searching for treasures. At a table in the reading room a young lady was being tutored and at the front desk someone was asking about tracking down an obituary.
I read somewhere that libraries today are more about “connections” than the “collection.” I find that to be true because today our public libraries are more than just books. As the writer Jo Queenan said in an article in The Rotarian Magazine, “The public library serves many functions in the community. It is an adjunct to the public schools, a place where kids can do their homework. It is a day care center of sorts, where small children gather for story hour. It is a safe haven where senior citizens can pass the time in the company of others, where the unemployed can look for work. It is a place where the lonely can be less lonely, the bored less bored, the dejected less dejected, and the ignorant more enlightened… Small towns can do without movie houses and fancy restaurants and stores that sell 50 kinds of balsamic vinegar. But small towns cannot do without a public library. Cannot, cannot, cannot. You can look it up.”
The library community is asking for your help. Reach out to your State Representative in Columbus and to the Speaker of the House, Matt Huffman. Let them know that the Public Library Fund is important. Tell them what your library means to you and what it means to the community. In Dover and in all libraries in Tuscarawas County, we are busy doing Homework Help, storytimes, author events, technology training, job search assistance, notary service, laminating, printing, checking out books, and the everyday ins and outs of serving the public and giving them an equal playing field to live a quality life. Those are the stories that matter and those are the stories that we need to see in the paper. However, we can’t do that without your support and without a funding commitment from the State of Ohio. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. I can assure you, your public library has great stories to tell.
Jim Gill
Director
Dover Public Library
Dover, Ohio
Representative Contact Information:
Rep. Jodi Salvo
614-466-8035
Mailing Address:
77 South High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Speaker of the House Matt Huffman
614-466-6344
Mailing Address:
77 South High Street, 11th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
