State aid for libraries (also known as state aid for public libraries, state aid, direct aid or state funding) is funding provided to

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

s in the United States. State aid is typically divided among all libraries in a state in the form of

block grants A block grant is a grant-in-aid of a specified amount from a larger government to a smaller regional government body. Block grants have less oversight from the larger government and provide flexibility to each subsidiary government body in terms ...

. Each eligible library receives a percentage of state aid based on the library's budget, income and population served. State aid supplements local library budgets, and is particularly important for

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...

libraries and libraries supported by a small

tax base A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal person, legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regiona ...

. Other reasons states offer aid to libraries are to promote resource sharing among libraries; to encourage cities to establish and support libraries; and to establish minimum standards for libraries. State aid is combined with other forms of library funding—including federal aid, funding by

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

s and private

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

—to provide money for library books, staff and

information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system (I ...

. Other forms of aid may be used to fund library construction and remodeling. In order to qualify for federal assistance for libraries, states must provide a certain level of state aid. This is called "maintenance of effort." For example, in order to maintain access to federal technology grants,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

must provide its libraries with at least $21.2 million a year in state aid. State funding must be re-authorized every year by

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

s. Most states offer aid to libraries. However, state aid has recently become more politically contentious. Critics of state funding argue that local libraries should be funded with local money. In 2012, the state of Louisiana eliminated state aid. In a statement, the governor’s chief budget aide said that “in tight budget times, we prioritized funding for health care and education. Operations such as local libraries can be supported with local, not state dollars.” Several other states have also cut state aid in recent years. In 2009, 41% of states reported declining state funding for libraries. The decline in funding has been most significant in the Southeast.

References

{{reflist, 30em Libraries in the United States State government in the United States