A proposed budget from the Ohio House of Representatives could significantly cut state funding for public libraries, raising concerns about the future of these institutions and the services they provide.
Public libraries in Ohio currently rely on the Public Library Fund for financial support. While Governor Mike DeWine has advocated for increasing this funding, the House proposal seeks to eliminate the existing fund and implement a new distribution system—one that could lead to a reduction of $100 million in financial support for libraries statewide.
Ohio’s public libraries serve as vital community hubs, offering programs in workforce development, early childhood education, and senior services. However, these potential cuts have left library officials questioning their ability to maintain current services.
“It would affect the programming that we could offer. It could affect our collections, the materials,” said Kim DeNero, Deputy Director of the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Public Library.
The impact of these reductions could be substantial. Cleveland Heights Public Library relies on state funding for about 25% of its budget. “For us, that equates to about three to $3.5 million a year,” DeNero explained. For the Cleveland Public Library, state funding accounts for an even larger portion—40% of its budget. “We’re projecting a cut of 11% approximately to our budget,” noted Dr. Shenise Johnson Thomas, Chief of External Relations and Development at Cleveland Public Library.
The budget proposal also includes provisions that could restrict access to certain books in the teen section. Specifically, materials addressing sexual orientation or gender identity would require minors to have parental permission or be accompanied by a parent to access them.
This proposed restriction has sparked debate among parents. “You have to be a certain age to vote, right? Why not be a certain age to look at material like that? I don’t see anything wrong with that,” said Kevin White. On the other hand, Megan Lubber argued, “Kids under age 18 already have their own thoughts on this, so the idea of restricting them from learning more about what they might be feeling or what their friends might be feeling, no, I don’t think it’s particularly helpful.”
Library leaders remain uncertain about how these changes might be implemented. “That would be very tough from a practical standpoint,” DeNero stated. “It goes against our belief, our strong, ingrained beliefs in intellectual freedom—that anyone can come and get materials for themselves.” Dr. Johnson Thomas echoed this concern, saying, “We will have to learn to see what that all means. Public libraries have always been a place of access to everyone, information to everyone.” Noncompliance with the proposed rules could put libraries at risk of losing funding.
The proposed budget is not final. It must still be voted on by both the House and the Senate before reaching Governor DeWine’s desk for approval.