Leisure Time in Our Community - Public Library Funding

The chart shows the total income (in constant 2000 dollars) of public libraries and the percentage of that income paid by the various levels of government and other sources from 1993-1998. The amount of funding libraries receive has risen sharply since 1993. Funding has increased by more than $1.3 billion from 1993, reaching $7.3 billion in 1999. Local governments average 78% of the funding burden, with state government coming in a distant second, picking up an average 12.3%. Funds from other sources, such as fees, private philanthropy, and fundraising averaged 8.8% of the total. The Federal government only contributed an average of 0.9% to the total funding of public libraries.

This type of funding structure relies heavily on local tax millages and, in some cases, penal fines to fund public libraries. Therefore, the amount public libraries receive varies from city to city and county to county. Some advocates for funding reform have done studies pointing out the inequities in funding legislation at the state level as well. In Michigan, for example, a study by the Public Library Funding Initiative Group (PLFIG) showed that state legislation shortchanged public libraries in that state by more than $22 million in 1998 alone - it did not take inflation into consideration.

Despite the inequities and relatively heavy tax burden, in 2001 taxpayers passed more library funding referenda than they rejected. In Ohio and Virginia, for example, many municipalities approved funding measures for libraries while rejecting other tax issues.

Where is the funding going? Most of it is not going towards books, magazines, or other media. During this time period (1993-1999), 64.6% of the funding went for staff salaries, 20.2% went for such things as repair or replacement of furnishings and equipment and maintenance and operational costs of the buildings. Only 15.1% of the funding was spent on library collections¹³. More libraries are providing access to electronic services and the Internet (Internet access increased from 20.9% of libraries having the service in 1994 to 92.4% having it in 1999). Expenditures on these services averaged 3.6% of the total operating expenditures¹⁴.

With the Internet bringing virtual libraries such as The Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org) into 50.5% of homes in the United States in 2001 (an increase of 24.3% since 1998), do most people still use their local public library?

Sources: Chart data and funding averages: National Center for Education Statistics. U.S. Department of Education. Public Libraries in the United States: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999, various publication dates. Retrieved February 18, 2002 from http://nces.ed.gov. 2000 constant dollar data was extrapolated using CPI data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Michigan data: Charles R. McClure, et. al. Creating Stability and Equity in Michigan Public Libraries: Ending the Crisis, January 2001. Retrieved February 20, 2002 from http://www.kpl.gov/plfig/final_report.htm. Referendum data: "Referenda Roundup 2001: Libraries Get the Voters' Approval." American Libraries, 2001. Retrieved February 19, 2002 from http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/referenda2001.html. Internet data: Economic and Statistics Administration. U.S. Department of Commerce. "Percent of U.S. Households with Internet Access, By U.S., Rural, Urban, and Central Cities, 1998, 2000, 2001." Retrieved February 19, 2002 from http://www.esa.doc.gov; Sarah Ormes and Charles R. McClure. "A Comparison of Public Library Internet Connectivity in the USA and UK." Retrieved February 20, 2002 from http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/publib/USAUK1.htm