Where do libraries get all of their revenues from?

Question

Surely they don't keep afloat just off of late return fees, do they? I was just wondering.

Answer 1

Each library is different and each state is different. I do fundraising in PA for a local library. About 60% of our funds come in the form of taxes from the State and County. The county provides the most funds. In the past 5 years the state has cut more than 60% of funds for libraries. Just about 10% of our revenues comes from fines, lost books and the copier. The other 30% of funds come from people just like you and me, foundations and corporations.

I grew up in Moline, IL and their library is a city library. The city builds and maintains buildings, etc. along with a majority of the annual operating expenses.

Funding is really up to the voters and how individuals feel about the priority of the library in their lives.

Answer 2

Different states provide different levels of support to their libraries, and even within a state, different areas can have very different situations depending on what their local government bodies do.

I can give you info on one particular small rural public library, in PA, with an annual operating budget around $76,000.

About 25% comes from the state, from state tax dollars. Another 28% comes from the municipalities we serve, also from tax money, although the library trustees had to get a referendum on the ballot and approved by the voters to get that much - before that, was much less. We get no county funding.

Late fees add up to a small amount, around 1% of the total expenses.

We occasionally manage to get a grant, but those are generally for special projects like new computers from the Gates Foundation for example, rather than normal operating expenses, and often require matching funds.

The rest comes from donations, and from fundraising. We have a small board, and an even smaller staff, who spend many hours trying to ensure that the library remains available to the residents of the area. Our annual booksale provides maybe 3-4% of our annual operating expenses, and one of the local vets runs a rabies clinic every year (bless her) that provides another 1-2%. We also sell Entertainment Books, county dog licenses, and take passport applications (a super source of income this year, with the new passport rules).

We almost went under 7 years ago, but were bailed out by a couple of great people who had money and gave us a $25,000 grant to keep afloat - they set it up as a matching grant, so we had to stir up the community to contribute $25K in new funding to get the full grant from the donors.

Thanks for asking. As a library trustee, it's good to hear the question, rather than just the assumption that "the government" pays for the libaries' expenses.

Answer 3

Local government (city, county, state). A higher portion of the funding usually comes from the city level.

Answer 4

Taxes revenues I believe on the county level

Answer 5

We have a county library that we pay taxes to, but I have no idea where it is.

Answer 6

I think the city helps pay for them... they're a government run business... there's a special name, but I can't think of what it is... you know like how Amtrak is run by the government

Answer 7

Mostly through local property taxes.

Answer 8

most libraries are supported by tax payers,and donations

Answer 9

government funds, grants, donations,