Funding for Libraries

From ALA Office:

On Tuesday, October 24th the Senate passed the FY 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which contains funding for several library-related programs. The House passed a bill in July. Conferees will meet to reconcile the differences in the bills.

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: The Senate passed bill contains $171,500,000 for the Grants to State Library Agencies program within the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Please contact your Senators and Representative and tell them to support the Senate passed funding level.

Funding for Selected Programs

FY 2008 House/FY 2008 Senate

Library State Grants

$167,500,000/$171,500,000

Native American Library Services

$3,638,000/$3,817,000

National Leadership Grants for Libraries

$12,375,000/$12,375,000

Recruitment of Librarians for the 21st Century

$23,760,000/$23,760,000

Administration total for IMLS

$12,021,000/$12,917,000

Talking points:

Please bring the total for the LSTA state program from House-passed funding level of $167.5 million to Senate passed funding level of $171.5 million to allow full implementation of a 2003 law to provide a more equitable distribution of state formula grants. In 2003, all of the states and Congress agreed that the base should be doubled to help even the playing field for the small states while ensuring that large states don't face an undue burden to achieve that. Currently, all funding increases to the state program go to the base, and not to population increases for the large states.