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South Carolina and Wisconsin Libraries Get Increased FundingThe South Carolina legislature has more than doubled the amount of aid it will provide to libraries, increasing the allocation from 82 cents to $2 per capita, or from $3.8 million to $8.1 million, in FY 2006. “This was an especially good year for libraries in South Carolina,” said State Library Director Jim Johnson. “The success can be attributed to the grassroots efforts we have used throughout this session and previous sessions to promote the importance of libraries in the state to our General Assembly.”Other projects supported next year by South Carolina lawmakers include $2 million for the state’s DISCUS virtual library, which provides electronic resources to public libraries and schools; $1.5 million for the Augusta Baker Chair for Childhood Literacy at the University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science in Columbia; $2 million for the PASCAL electronic library for the state’s colleges; and $450,000 for a children’s area at the Williamsburg County Library. Wisconsin libraries are also in line for a funding increase. The state legislature’s Joint Finance Committee recommended June 6 a 5% boost in state aid for 2006 and a 4.5% increase for 2007, amounting to an additional $2 million (40 cents per capita) over the $14 million base of state funding. The committee also recommended a $150,000 increase in funding for BadgerLink, a program of full-text databases available to all state residents. “Considering the multibillion-dollar deficit the state is facing,” said Thomas J. Hennen Jr., chair of the Wisconsin Library Association’s Legislative Committee, “we are extremely thankful that both the Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled legislature recognized the value that Wisconsin libraries have.” Although committee recommendations are not the same as final approval, Hennen said the funding is likely to be adopted by both houses later in the summer. Posted June 10, 2005. |
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