Leadership. Advocacy. Communication.

Issues: Florida Library Legislative Day

February 1, 2012

State Aid to Public Library Funding – Thank You Legislators & Governor Scott for $21.3 Million in 2011-12 and please provide the same in 2012-13! Floridians are turning to their public libraries more than ever in this challenging economy and state funding helps libraries serve them. Special thanks to Governor Scott for including library funding in his proposed budget. State Aid enables libraries to provide:

Help for job seekers
Assistance with E-Govt services
Early voting & voter registration
Early learning and literacy activities for pre-schoolers
Support for parents as their kids’ 1st teachers!
Safe places for teens to learn & socialize
Technology assistance for young & old
Opportunities for community participation
Provide books!

We appreciate the good will legislators have towards libraries! Library supporters are team players but libraries have already taken their share of state funding cuts – down from $33.4 million.

Regional Multi-Type Library Cooperatives (MLCs)

Increase MLC funding from the current $1 million to $1.2 million.

Florida’s 5 MLC’s help libraries add book records to the Florida Catalog’s 20 million items for Floridians to find and borrow. MLC’s also support resource sharing and provide staff training on topics such as providing ebooks.

University & College Libraries

We support the Chancellors’ proposed Unified Library Services Business Plan for a single library automation and electronic services program to support Florida’s university and college libraries. University and college libraries play a major role in student learning. Libraries support instruction and research and increasingly support creation of content and faculty publishing. The popular new learning commons in academic libraries are so helpful to students that it is hard find a seat!

State Library of Florida

We support the funding proposed by the Governor for the Division of Library and Information Services. The Division provides invaluable services to Floridians including the State Library of Florida, the Florida Archives, and the Florida Electronic Library!