Alabama: “Funding Tight For Smaller Rural Libraries”

From the Dothan Eagle:

Nancy Pack, the director of the Alabama Public Library Service, said tough financial times hitting area businesses and government agencies haven’t left libraries untouched. Pack said libraries across the state have seen drops in funding from the federal, state and local levels.
“Libraries aren’t getting as much money as they did at one time, especially in the smaller, rural areas,” Pack said.
Pack said the state funding has dropped to 78 cents per capita from $1.09 several years ago. She said federal funding has dropped, including the money libraries receive from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
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Pack said a couple of libraries across the state are no longer open, including the Ariton-Dot Laney Memorial Library in Dale County.
But she also said the two libraries, which also included the Choctaw County Public Library in Butler, have not officially closed because their local governing bodies have not submitted their closing papers.
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Amid the tough financial times Wynn said she’s seen a 75 percent increase in usage at the Geneva Public Library over the past decade.
But Wynn also said their funding at the state level has been cut by 40 percent since 2008.

The article includes the operating budgets for libraries in the Wiregrass Region of Alabama.
Read the Complete Article (1667 Words)

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