State funding shortage may doom library systems

Link to February 14 Daily Herald article.

Excerpt: Libraries across Illinois may again be victims of the state's ongoing financial woes, industry leaders fear.

Regional cooperative library organizations such as the North Suburban Library System already have slashed budgets and cut staffs because millions of dollars in promised state funds haven't been delivered.

If the money doesn't come soon, representatives say, more cuts would be needed. The organizations could even shut down, officials said.

That could dramatically affect services at libraries throughout the state, they said.

For example, a delivery service that lets library patrons order materials from distant libraries would disappear, said Judy Hoffman, spokeswoman for the North Suburban Library System. Agreements that let patrons visit other libraries and borrow materials at those facilities could collapse, too, she said.

Related articles:

"Save Illinois Libraries" Campaign Shakes Loose Some Funds. (1/22/2010)

Save Illinois Libraries: Tweeting Up a Storm of Support. (1/20/2010)

Sarah Long: Illinois Regional Library Systems and Boiling Frogs. (1/13/2010)

lllinois Regional Multi-Type Library Systems Hit with Cut in Funding. (8/13/2009)