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Highlands Today

Legislators lean toward cutting state library funding

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By JIM KONKOLY

Highlands Today

Published: May 2, 2009

SEBRING - The Highlands County Library System will lose about one-third of its funding, barring an 11th hour reversal of the state Legislature's decision to eliminate state aid to libraries.

Loss of state funding would mean drastic cuts, including layoffs, losing computer and Internet access for patrons, and reducing the days and hours the three libraries are open, said Mary Myers, county library services director.

A key budget conference committee in the Florida Legislature decided to eliminate state funding of libraries, which had been proposed at $21.2 million.

For Highlands County, that would mean the loss of about $507,000 from a projected budget of $1.45 million.

"It means layoffs, it means possible branch closings, it means we won't have the Internet for people, it means no new books, it means reducing hours," Myers said. "It's really an extreme situation."

Elimination of state aid to the libraries was recommended late Thursday by the House and Senate Transportation and Economic Development Appropriations Conference Committee.

Over the weekend, that decision will be reviewed, and could possibly be changed, at two levels. It goes first to the chairmen of the ways and means committees, state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, in the Senate, and state Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, in the House.

The proposal then goes for review to Larry Cretul, speaker of the House, and Jeff Atwater, Senate president.

Alexander said the elimination of state library funding could be reversed before Monday's expected adoption of the state budget, but that appears unlikely.

"The concrete has been poured and it's hardening, but it's not finalized yet," Alexander said Friday from the state capital.

"That's one of the issues that are raising some concerns," he said. "We will take a hard look at it."

Alexander called restoration of library funding "possible," but added that the leadership "gives great weight to those conference committees."

Eliminating state aid will force the closing of branch libraries around the state and "have a particularly devastating impact on rural counties," said Faye Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Florida Library association.

State funding accounts for between 30 to 50 percent of the funding for rural libraries like the Highlands County system, Roberts said.

All funding for technology, including computers, in the Highlands County libraries comes from the five-county Heartland Library Cooperative, which is funded entirely by the state, Myers said.

"If the cooperative goes out of business, we won't have Internet unless the county could step up with the funding, but the county doesn't have the funding to do that," she said.

The county had been counting on about $275,000 in direct funding from the state, plus services worth about $232,000 from the cooperative.

Myers and library officials from around the state are asking library supporters to contact legislative leaders and the governor in an attempt to restore state library funding.

In this tough economy, she said, more people are depending more heavily on the libraries for services, including Internet access for job searches and applications, assistance programs and education.

"The times are desperate, people need their libraries, and desperate times mean that someone has to step up to help," she said.

Loss of state aid would definitely mean reduced hours, staffing and materials, with the Lake Placid and Avon Park libraries possibly reduced to two days a week, Myers said.

"Rather than close a branch permanently, each one may be open only several days a week," she said.

Highlands Today reporter Jim Konkoly can be reached at 863-386-5855 or e-mail jkonkoly@highlandstoday.com

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