Save Ohio Libraries

As reported many places, including Library Journal, the Governor of Ohio, Ted Strickland, has proposed a budget that slashes library funding in half.

The blog The Library is Now Closed has updates of the situation and actions being taken.

Save Ohio Libraries is also a great source for information.

A lot of library and librarian blogs and twitter accounts are involved with doing what they can; and for those of us outside Ohio, that involves letting people in Ohio know we care and are supporting them.

For those outside Ohio: of course, it can happen in your state, your county, your town. If Ohio is successful, other government entities will see this as a way to save money. "Penny wise, pound foolish" as the saying goes. So what can you do now? Let Ohio libraries and librarians know you support them; and start, now, getting your data, information, and stories together to be able to show the value of libraries and librarians to your community. New Jersey's Snapshot Day (Snapshot: one day in the life of New Jersey libraries) is an excellent example of such a resource (and no, I'm not just saying it because I am a Jersey librarian).

Note that I say libraries AND librarians. Because a building with books is just a warehouse; a collection of books that is based on someone else's donations is just a book swap; and volunteers cannot do what a librarian can.