photo credit: Mia Harrington
The first public library in Ohio was opened in 1901. The Brumbrack Library is the oldest county library in the United States.
The library was created because of interest in lending libraries from the community and support for having a larger library available for all the county’s people. The library began with 1,400 titles, and now, 123 years later, the library contains more than 235,000 items.
The story of the Brumbrack Library is a hopeful one that appreciates the library and its role as a pillar for the community. However, over the past few years, as a society, we have begun to neglect these sacred spaces.
Only half of Americans 16 years old and older have visited a library in the past year, and only 30 percent of all Americans visit a library several times a month or more, according to Pew Research Center. These worryingly low numbers are not new; they have stayed mostly consistent over the past decade.
In Ohio, it’s clear that as individuals we value libraries a lot more than the average American. Each Ohio resident visits a public library 5.91 times a year, compared to the national average of 3.84 times a year, according to the Ohio Public Library Council.
Yet, our community values do not reflect our love for libraries. The government funding for Ohio public libraries has declined steadily each year since 2008, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
This decline is due to the way that funding is secured for public libraries: the Public Library Fund. The Public Library Fund is the main source of funding for public libraries in Ohio, and it is set to receive a mere 1.7 percent of the state’s total tax revenue from the General Revenue Fund.
Meanwhile, the government continues to allocate the small amount of extra revenue available into unnecessary funds such as our growing rainy day, fund which has received so much funding it’s nearly reaching its maximum funding. Ohio legislatures should be working to secure more funding for public libraries by raising the percentage of the General Revenue Fund that goes to the Public Library FunNot only have libraries been proven to be greatly utilized by the residents of Ohio, but they are also valuable spaces for diversity, support and comfort. Public libraries offer stronger connections and better relationships within the community.
For example, immigrants in Ohio who cannot speak English seek the library for media in their native languages as well as opportunities to learn English free of cost. According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, public libraries have always had a history of offering resources and education to immigrants, such as in the case of Andrew Carnegie.
Libraries are known to be inclusive spaces for people like immigrants, but they are inclusive and comforting to all members of the community. They offer a meeting place for senior citizens and teenagers alike to connect with other members of the community, preventing loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging within the community.
All in all, libraries are crucial to the stability of our local communities, especially in Ohio. But they are grossly underfunded by the government, relying on outside funding solely to survive.
Ohio representatives should be passing legislation to increase funding for public libraries. Call and/or write representatives and advocate for the importance of libraries in our community as well.
