Budget Cuts Put Libraries at Risk

Ventura County, California
Columbus, Ohio
Fallston, Maryland

What do these places have in common? One thing is that libraries in these communities are at risk of closure due to government budget cuts. Ohio libraries may be at particular risk due to Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to cut libraries' funding by $200 million over two years as part of a budget-cutting plan that also affects many other state services. "This $200 million proposed cut to libraries is on top of budget cuts averaging 20 percent that hit libraries as a result of the state's reduced tax revenue, making the total cut about 50 percent." (June 23 article from the Columbus Dispatch)

However, Ventura County Public Libraries has something that the other communities lack: the active support of "literary legend" Ray Bradbury. Last Saturday he spoke at a benefit for the H. P. Wright Library, and he frequently speaks at libraries through California. The New York Times featured Mr. Bradbury's efforts in a June 19 article.