Tell the Ohio House: No Cuts to Ohio Libraries!

To our valued patrons and members of the community,  

We need your help. 

On April 1st, the Ohio House of Representatives released its proposed state budget. In it, they recommend eliminating the Public Library Fund, a fund protected by law and responsible for the majority of Ohio’s public library funding. 

Ohio's public libraries have had a partnership with the state to deliver services at the local level for almost 100 years. This proposal wants to remove the protection of law and make library funding a lump-sum dollar amount in the State’s overall budget, making it much easier for legislators to cut funding for libraries in the future.  

If this proposal passes, it means $100 million LESS for Ohio public Libraries over the next two years and NO GUARANTEE OF FUNDING after 2027.

Here in Ross County, 54% of CRCPL operations are supported by the Public Library Fund. The local tax levy passed by voters in our community makes up 38% of our budget, and the remaining 8% comes from grants, investment incomes, and generous donations. 

Elimination of the Public Library Fund will mean significant cuts to the services you value most. Less programming, fewer digital and print materials, and less access overall. These changes will hurt us, but they will likely devastate libraries that rely more heavily on State funds. Libraries are encouraged to work together, to trade, to pool resources so we can best serve our communities. This proposal will weaken our entire library system, making it harder to share materials and potentially shuttering locations in communities that need them most.

But you have the power to help! You can say NO!  

If you use the library to print resumes, we need you. If you attend story times or library programs with your family, we need you. If you come here to get out of the elements, we need you. If you have an ever-growing list of audiobook holds on Libby, we need you. No matter how the library enriches your life, WE NEED YOU.   

Tell your representatives your library story! They need to hear WHY we matter to YOU, and they need to hear it NOW. The Ohio House of Representatives will vote next Wednesday, April 9. The time for action is now. 

Call, email, fax from the library, or use our form to contact your State Representatives and tell them: 

• YOUR library story
• NO cuts for libraries 
• RESTORE the Public Library Fund to 1.75% 

We love serving this community. Help us fight to keep funding for public libraries here and across Ohio, for the benefit of all!