Texas’ Appeal Averts $6.5 Million Cut in Federal Library Funding

From The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission has won an appeal of a September decision by the Institute of Museum and Library Services that would have cut over $6.5 million in federal funds used to support statewide library services.
[Full Text of Waiver Approval Letter From IMLS to TSLAC Embedded at Bottom of Post]
“This is very good news for us and Texas,” said Mark Smith, director of the library and archive commission which provides support for 560 libraries statewide.
The IMLS had threatened to reduce the federal funds after the Texas Legislature slashed the 2012-2013 budget for the library and archives commission by 64 percent.
[Clip]
Cary Siegfried, Arlington’s director of libraries, said in November that Texas had failed to meet its obligations for clearly defined federal guidelines.
“I’m pleasantly surprised by the waiver,” she said Friday. “It sounds like the federal government feels like the state is turning things around. That could be good news for all of us.
“It may be one of those wake-up calls we all needed that the federal government means what they say that maintenance of effort is important,” Siegfried said.

Read the Complete Article
See Also: TSLAC Will Receive Full Allotment of Federal Funds for Statewide Library Programs (via Texas Library and Archives Commission)
News Release from TSLAC.

Background

Rejected Waiver Requests Put Five States in Danger of Losing IMLS Funding (October 9, 2013)
by Ian Chant, Library Journal
Texas Libraries Face Federal Funding Cuts (November 7, 2013)

In Recent News…

Texas Legislature Restores $7.5 Million in Public Library Funding (January 3, 2014)

Letter from IMLS to TSLAC

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries