By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Wood County District Public Library has some good news and some concerning news on the state financial front.
The payments from the State Library Fund have been lower than projected. The library’s budget estimated receiving $1,835,000 from the state through the library fund. That was 3 percent less than the previous year. The State Library Fund payments account for 47 percent of the library’s $3,862,000 general fund budget.
“We’re keeping an eye on the State Public Library Fund,” Library Director Michael Penrod said. “The June payment was at estimate, but we were well below estimate for the first five months. We’re continuing to watch to see if that was a hiccup or a continuing trend.”
The State Library Fund is generated by 1.7 percent of state revenue, and that revenue has been down this year. The lower payments to libraries reflect that.
(Updated on June 19, 8:33 p.m.: According to information provided to the BGSU Board of Trustees the state’s General Fund Revenue through April was under budget by $1.1 billion (3.2 percent) and was $963 million (2.8 percent) below the prior year’ actual GFR in April of 2023’s receipts for the same period.)
[FROM OHIO CAPITAL JOURNAL: Ohio libraries bracing for tough choices as state funding revenue continues to dip]
The library got good news though. Libraries are not eligible for state capital dollars, which are now being allocated.
However this year, there is additional money being distributed through the Ohio Strategic Capital Investment Fund. This $700 million in one-time funding is being allocated through the capital budget process.
The Wood County District Public Library is getting $100,000 for its new heating plant, Penrod told trustees Monday. The project is expected to cost about $300,000, and should be completed this summer.
Deputy Director Michele Raine delivered a report that showed growth in demand for services.
While the checkout of physical items is holding steady, the growth in use of digital items is up 11 percent.
And the number of visits to both the main library in Bowling Green and the Walbridge branch are continuing to increase.
The number of people visiting the Walbridge library is up 63 percent since 2022, to 2361 patrons. The Bowling Green Library has experienced a 34 percent increase in that two-year period, to 11,094 patrons.
