ALA President Writes Op/Ed on Why Northern Kentucky Needs Its Libraries
Here’s an op/ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer by ALA President, Maureen Sullivan.
She Writes:
Court rulings in recent class-action suits claiming that public libraries in Campbell and Kenton counties had improperly received tax revenues for the past 35 years promise to have a serious negative impact on access to public libraries throughout the state.
As a result of the rulings, which are under appeal, the libraries will be forced to reimburse funds collected above the original tax rate and resume operations at 1978 funding levels. This will quickly lead to a serious of decisions that will ultimately result in closing the library doors.
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In 2011 and 2012, the Kenton County Public Library provided 7,076 programs that reached 129,069 children, both in the library as well as through outreach services and programs offered at daycare centers, community centers, early learning centers and public, private and parochial schools.
In Campbell County, the public library offers summer reading programs for children, teens and adults. Its adult programming includes photography workshops and a program for retirees, seniors and their caregivers on what they need to know about health care reform.
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Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.