Unlike Public Libraries, OhioLINK Faces Smaller Budget Cut
$1 million loss would hurt; caution about future licenses necessary
Norman Oder -- Library Journal, 06/25/2009
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- Governor recommends smaller cut than does Senate
- $1 million cut still would hurt
- New caution about licensing agreements
Public libraries in Ohio face an unprecedented cut in state funding, to be resolved by June 30. But what about OhioLINK, the Ohio Library and Information Network a consortium of 88 Ohio college and university libraries, and the State Library of Ohio?
Tom Sanville, executive director of OhioLINK, explained that Governor Ted Strickland recommended funding OhioLINK at $6.44 million, a significant increase from the $5 million recommended by the Senate. “This is still about $1 million below OhioLINK's budget of $7.4 million at the beginning of the fiscal year ending this month,” he noted, citing a reduction during the year of $755,000.
However, he said, “[u]nder the overall circumstances we are grateful that this partial restoration has been recommended and hope that the conference committee will agree although given the magnitude of state cuts needed to create a balanced budget where we end up is highly uncertain. The only thing we can be fairly certain of is that there will be a reduction. It’s only a question of how much.”
Coping with budget cuts
Beyond that, he noted that OhioLINK member library budgets are mostly declining. “Significant reductions in our group licensing will be required under any scenario we can envision,” he predicted. “It is simply a matter of how deep.”
Given budget uncertainties, he said, “we will make plans to ensure we do not make electronic content license commitments that we will not be able to afford.”
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