Iowa librarians stress need to maintain funding

Iowa's public libraries “squeeze every nickel out of every dollar” they get from the state Legislature, according to Dale Vande Haar, president of the Iowa Library Association.

“We're quite good at that,” he said after a recent legislative hearing on a plan to streamline services to libraries. “We just don't want to have any more dollars taken away because you can only squeeze so many nickels out of a dollar.”

Vande Haar and other librarians around the state realize they'll have to squeeze harder because the governor's proposed budget calls for a cut of about $600,000 from the current $3 million state appropriations for the State Library and Library Service Areas.

Vande Haar is quick to point out that most of the state's 543 public libraries are in communities of fewer than 2,500 people. Use of public libraries has been growing. More than two-thirds of Iowans have library cards, Vande Haar said. That's about the same number as Iowans registered to vote.

Iowans made 19 million visits to their public libraries last year and more than 51,000 people visit a public library every day. Checkouts from Iowa public libraries are up 10 percent in 10 years, Last year, Iowans checked out more than 27 million items.

The current economic situation has made libraries busier, Vande Haar said. A recent study found 40 percent of library users access the Internet for employment uses, such as job searches and online applications.

Faced with the legislative mandate and the ever-tightening state budget, librarians are pushing a plan to merge the State Library and Library Service Areas into Iowa Library Services in order save money and reduce staff while maintaining service, Vande Haar said. The State Library and service areas provide a range of services to local public libraries including assistance with standards and quality assurance, consulting and training, technology and resource sharing. The State Library includes the law library and reference collections and documents.

An 11-member panel, including Eastern Iowans Susan Kling, formerly of the Marion Public Library, and Lorraine Borowski of the Decorah Public Library, spent about five-months crafting the plan to streamlined model of state library operations and services. Now in bill form – House File 103, the plan has won the approval of the House State Government Committee.

Rep. Kevin Koester, R-Ankeny, calls it a win-win for the state and library users, who are unlikely to notice any change in the services they've come to expect.

“They may see some enhancements,” Koester said, explaining that the agencies provide service to libraries.

Iowans “are getting the best services and also know the money is being used well,” added Vande Haar. “There is no waste.”

The plan is expected to save about $615,000 a year.

“It's not a huge dollar savings,” Vande Haar said, but it does reduce staffing to 40.5 FTEs, a decrease of slightly more than three FTEs. All of the employees of the new agency will be state employees

Koester, who shepherded HF 103 through the State Government Committee, noted state funding for the State Library and service areas has fallen from $3.5 million in 2009 to $2.5 million and the proposed budget calls for an additional $120,000 in cuts.

The new agency will be overseen by a nine-member Iowa Commission on Libraries appointed by the governor and a statewide advisory panel will provide broad input from the library community.