By Marty DuBecky, Staff Writer

After intense lobbying from Ohio’s libraries and librarians, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to approve the $61 billion budget bill after a late increase to the Public Library Fund (PLF) was added.

Following Ohio Library Day on April 8, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) stated she has received more emails and phone calls than ever before in her time at the Statehouse. The messages were advocating for the funding of the Ohio PLF. The PLF contributes to about 51% of Ohio public library budgets, per the Ohio Library Council. That money has come from a consistent 1.7% of the General Revenue Fund. After Gov. Mike DeWine’s initial bill proposal increasing the PLF, Ohio House Republicans proposed a significantly smaller fund dropping below the average $490 million.

With late changes to the budget bill, including an increase to the PLF, the House voted 60 to 39, passing the bill on to the Senate. The vote saw five Republicans voting “no” with the rest of the chamber’s Democrats. Even with the late changes, the PLF remains funded less than DeWine’s proposed $531.7 and $549.1 million for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years respectively.

Public libraries, in Ohio and nationally, rely on state level funds (like the PLF) and national funds. Assistant Director of Public Services at Xavier’s McDonald Memorial Library Alison Morgan spoke about library funding.

“The Ohio public libraries get funding federally from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) which is one of the organizations that was slashed a bit by the current (federal) administration and is devastating for public libraries,” Morgan said.

The Ohio budget bill is being voted on while federal institution and organization budgets like the IMLS and the National Institute of Science (NIS) are being reduced. Morgan said while private institution endowments like Harvard and Columbia are being targeted, which could impact their research and library resources, institutions like Xavier are in a “wait and see” period.

While the Ohio Senate still has to vote on the budget bill, further budget cuts or a reluctance to meet Gov. DeWine’s PLF proposals could prove devastating for Ohio Public Libraries if federal funding opportunities continue to be cut back. Morgan notes the importance of public libraries and necessity of funding.

“It is one of the very few remaining free spaces. You can go into a public library and don’t have to buy anything. You can read, you can check out books, you can use a computer, you can attend a program, you can be with friends or colleagues in a meeting,” Morgan said. “They are open to everyone.”

“It’s a space away from home or school or work where you can be a part of the community. But also, public libraries are known for being very democratic institutions, meaning not Democrat versus Republican but more founded on the principle that everyone needs access to information,” she added.

Librarians like Morgan and academic institutions like Harvard foresee further budget cuts to federally funded organizations like the NMLS, NIS and National Endowment for the Humanities to be detrimental for libraries and research opportunities alike.

“An educated public makes for good democracy. If people are informed and know what’s going on, they can contribute to society as a whole, to society as a good,” Morgan said.