Let’s talk about reading and libraries. It is estimated that the average person in the United States reads 12 books per year or an average of one per month. It is also estimated that the average person will read 700-2,000 books in their lifetime. On the other side of those statistics are ones that are kind of scary to me. 50% of U.S. adults can’t read an 8th grade level book, 33% of high school graduates never read a book after high school, and 80% of U.S. families have not purchased a book this year. Let’s hope those that aren’t purchasing are utilizing their local public library.
Most libraries in Wisconsin are primarily funded by their local municipality. Unfortunately, Maintenance of Effort was repealed by the state in 2012 so there is no current statutory minimum support required. Libraries that don’t have the county as their governing body are entitled to payments for library use by residents of the county who live in municipalities that don’t have a library. By statute, a library is reimbursed at a rate no lower than 70 percent for this “rural circulation.” They are also entitled to payments from adjacent counties, at a minimum of 70 percent, for usage by residents of those counties. The library needs to send the county a bill. In places like Marathon County where they have a consolidated county library, that library can choose whether or not to bill adjacent counties for serving their patrons. If they send a bill, then their county is subject to billing by the libraries in adjacent counties.
State funding is available, but that goes to the library system, in our case, Wisconsin Valley Library Service, not the individual libraries. That aid has been funded, in part, by the Institute for Museum and Library Services, which is in the process of being eliminated by the Trump administration.
Municipalities that operate their own public libraries are exempt from county library tax. Most public libraries in Wisconsin are funded by their municipalities above the level required for the county library tax exemption, but some use this as a baseline for library support.
Library funding is a very complicated process. You might wonder why it matters.
It matters because libraries aren’t just about books. They provide computer use that allows people to job search. They might be the only source of internet access for some in the community. They provide activities for children and adults alike. In our county, they are warming shelters for the homeless or a place where someone with no air conditioning can go during the heat of the summer.
Cuts in federal funding impact state funding. That in turn could impact what local municipalities need to spend on their libraries. This is important because there is a movement in our county and our local municipality that could impact library funding. The county doesn’t think it should have to pay local libraries for Marathon County circulation if Marathon County doesn’t want to pay “their fair share.” On the municipal level, there are some who don’t want to fund our libraries at current rates, or maybe not at all.
I have a problem with that. Libraries are a place where people access information, but some in our country would like people to be illiterate and not have access to knowledge. I don’t feel that is an exaggeration. Others just don’t feel libraries are important. My questions to them is “do you have a library card” and “when is the last time you read a book?” People who don’t use library services don’t understand what libraries mean to those of us who do. They don’t think books, or maybe even reading, are important. They are wrong. If you use your local library, or if you just support libraries in general, I would ask you to take action. Talk to your municipal government officials, talk to your county board members, talk to your state representatives, and talk to your federal representatives. Tell them local libraries are important and you don’t want to see any funding cuts.