House Bill 49, the text of the full year (FY) 2018-19 state budget bill was released in February. Gov. Kasich's budget proposal would cut state funding to Ohio's public libraries by more than $7 million in FY 2018 by reducing the Public Library Fund (PLF) from 1.7% of the state's General Revenue Fund (GRF) to 1.66% of the GRF. The PLF has been the target of the budget ax since 2002 as this chart illustrates.
Read more to find out how you can help protect the PLF.
Support Your Library
Protect Public Library Funding
State funding for public libraries will be automatically cut again on July 1, 2017.
Did You Know?
- More than 8.7 million Ohioans are library cardholders (that's three-fourths of Ohio's population).
- Ohio's public libraries provide nearly $2.7 billion in direct economic value to Ohio residents.
- Ohio has the HIGHEST LIBRARY USE per capita in the United States.
Who's My Legislator?
- Use your zip code, to find your elected official
- Tell them why you love your library!
Public Libraries....
- provide public access to the Internet, computers, and the latest technology
- help Ohioans find jobs with resume help and job search assistance
- offer literacy and homework help
- serve as a place for the community to gather
- provide life-long learning opportunities and programming for all ages
- offer well-rounded collections
Helpful Fact Sheets