Library Endowment Bill

I was so pleased when The News Record carried a page 2 article on the Library Endowment Bill. The funding and foresight is so incredible that it takes my breath away. What will your public libraries do after the coal is gone? Who will support the extra programs, the innovative thinking, the opportunities that your public library offers?

The WY Library Association has requested a million dollar match for the 23 public library systems in the state. Yes, that is a million dollars for each county, because that is how WY libraries were created and continue to be funded -- through the county mil. But this funding is outside the mil levy. This money will not be in the county coffers. It will be maintained through the foundations for each of the 23 county libraries, which means the interest from the endowment can be used for the extras that the county cannot normally afford. More computers, more books, more programs, maybe even a roof repair or an addition.

Like so many things in the state that is affected by the boom times, the Legislators asked for a system of funding that will be equitable to the small counties without mineral tax income. So the match will be in tiers -- Campbell County is a 1 to 1 match, while Niobrara is a 3 to 1 match. That may not seem fair to this county, but it does seem fair to librarians in the state who watch places like Lusk who struggle year in and year out to keep their library open. Public libraries are an essential part of the educational and cultural resources of small communities, just as they are for Gillette.

If you have an opportunity to talk to any of local legislators this winter, remind them to support the Library Endowment Bill for the good of all public libraries in the state. If you have questions, just drop me an email or call Patty at the library. I have answers.