ALA News: Maureen Sullivan: President Obama’s budget gives libraries funding boost

ALA News
April 12, 2013

Maureen Sullivan: President Obama’s budget gives libraries funding boost

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/maureen-sullivan-president-obama-s-budget-gives-libraries-funding-boost

Today, President Barack Obama released the budget for the 2014 fiscal year, allocating $177 million for assistance to libraries through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA). Library funding will be administered by the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services (IMLS). The budget request is approximately a 1.16 percent increase over funding enacted for the bill in the 2013 fiscal year continuing resolution (after sequestration).

In response to President Obama’s 2014 budget request, American Library Association (ALA) President Maureen Sullivan released the following statement today:

“We congratulate President Obama for supporting our nation’s libraries and the work they do for their communities. The White House Office of Management and Budget has increased the amount of funding for libraries and recognizes the ways that libraries contribute to the economic recovery in their local communities.

"By funding the Library Services and Technology Act, the Obama Administration has acknowledged the key role libraries play in the nation’s economic recovery. This funding provides libraries with the means to serve their patrons, many of whom are job seekers who come to libraries to find work or learn the research and digital literacy skills needed for 21st century jobs.

"While we are very pleased by the $2 million increase in funding for the Library Services and Technology Act, we know that libraries need more federal funding support to continue to be the thriving resource centers and technology hubs that millions rely on for assistance. Funding included in the budget is well below the amount of federal assistance that libraries received during the 2012 fiscal year. We hope the Obama Administration will provide libraries with even more support in the future.”

About the American Library Association
The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with approximately 58,000 members in academic, public, school, government, and special libraries. The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.