Cutting state funding will cost Pennsylvania badly needed federal funds.  Federal money pays for shared resources and incentives for local projects.  H.B. 1416 (Governor Rendell’s proposal) would cost Pennsylvania about $1 million in matching federal funds.  S.B. 850 (Senate Republican proposal) will cost even more---about $3.8 million in lost federal funding.

Both of these bills will end up reducing library services for the public.  That’s why we need to stay on our message to call for level funding of libraries. Level funding will help keep services available and does not fritter away badly needed federal dollars.  Libraries are a relatively small piece (about $94 million) in the grand scheme of $28 billion state budget.

Libraries represent about three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) of the entire state budget.  With strong support from library users, making libraries a top priority a funding freeze can be achieved.

Senate Bill 850 cuts deepest of all. Were it to become law, books, DVDs, access to computers, lending between libraries, online databases, programs for kids, and professional staff would be slashed to the bone.  The POWER Library databases that schools and public libraries count on would come to an end.  There would be no more Keystone Funds for library buildings or improvements.  In short, it would be a disaster for Pennsylvanians who need and depend on quality library services.

Endangered Resources:

* POWER Library

The POWER Library has provided vetted on-line resources through school and public libraries since 1998.  POWER provides a common denominator of authenticated information across the Commonwealth on subject areas of recognized value to students, parents, adults, seniors and entrepreneurs.

It was the first program to open the door of our libraries making resources available 24/7.

POWER provided 50 million searches in 2008 from 3,000 libraries.

Every school district and state aided library receives POWER.

It would cost every school and public library $40,000 to purchase the POWER package.   For many of our schools, the POWER Library is the only vetted resource that supports information literacy and the Classrooms for the Future program.

* Reciprocal Borrowing

The Statewide Library Card Program makes it possible for Pennsylvanians to borrow books from libraries other than their local library thereby erasing borders between libraries.

Without this program, Pennsylvanians would no longer be able to borrow freely from libraries across the state.  Instead they will have to purchase a library card from each library.

*Interlibrary Delivery Service

With the elimination of this appropriation, many libraries won't be able to afford membership, which will in effect cut off students and patrons from valuable, statewide resource sharing across types of libraries

*Ask Here PA Virtual Reference 

Ask Here PA is an online reference service that enables Pennsylvanians to communicate anytime of the day or night with a professional library online in order to find answers to research questions. 

The service operates 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, and is the only safe, authoritative option for students and all others to receive assistance from professional librarians when their libraries are closed.

The Ask Here PA program currently answers 10,000 questions per month, half of which are from K-12 students.

* Library Construction Funds supported by Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation grants to libraries

Both bills will cut will cause Pennsylvania to lose federal LSTA funds. Reduction or loss of these funds will impact children’s programming, program innovation, and the development of school, public and academic libraries.