Steep cuts, rollbacks of services, and closures possible for Greater Cleveland’s public libraries under proposed state budget

Public libraries across Northeast Ohio are warning their communities about steep cuts, loss of services, and possible closures that could arise due to the current proposed State House budget.

According to the Ohio Library Council, the substitute bill introduced in the House Finance Committee proposes eliminating the Public Library Fund (PLF) as it exists today. 

“Ohio’s public libraries already experienced a $27 million loss in state funding in Calendar Year (CY) 2024 as compared to CY 2023. This resulted in libraries being funded at the same level they were 25 years ago,” said Michelle Francis, executive director of the Ohio Library Council, in a statement on the proposed cuts. 

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Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget would allocate $531.7 million in the fiscal year 2026, and $549.1 million to PLF in the fiscal year 2027. Compare that to substitute House Bill 96, which would instead allocate $485 million to PLF in 2026 and $495 million in 2027.  

The cuts come as the result of a proposed new funding method in the House legislation. As the Ohio Capital Journal noted, the House’s budget would fund public libraries through a “direct GRF (general revenue fund) appropriation” and funding would be in proportion to each county’s population. 

“Libraries cannot absorb any further losses or cuts in state funding. Sub. HB 96 will have a direct impact at the local level where the only option will be to cut services or place an additional property tax levy on the ballot,” Francis said in an open letter to Rep. Matt Huffman, current speaker of the Ohio House.

For the region’s largest library system – Cuyahoga County Public Libraries (CCPL) – the proposed cuts could be an existential threat. 

“Frankly, it’s a bit scary in terms of the security of our funding into the future,” said CCPL CEO Tracy Strobel.

Strobel noted that CCPL currently has 27 branches across Cuyahoga County, and is the primary library system for 612,000 people, or nearly half of the county. State support through PLF represents approximately 28 percent of CCPL’s total funding, she said. 

“We stand to lose about $7 million dollars. That’s a difficult loss to survive and there would certainly be consequences. We haven’t specifically determined what cuts there would be,” Strobel said. 

For Cleveland Public Library, the PLF represents nearly 40-percent of the organization’s operating revenue, according to a CPL spokesperson. That means cuts could amount to an approximately 11-percent overall decrease in the library’s operating budget. 

“Cleveland Public Library is working collaboratively with the Ohio Library Council and libraries across Ohio to align our efforts to educate our communities and advocate to maintain state funding for Ohio libraries. We’re asking the community to contact their state representative to share why they love their library and urge them to restore the Public Library Fund to 1.75%. We will continue to keep our Cleveland patrons informed as this process unfolds,” a spokesperson said in a statement email to The Land. 

Carlos Latimer, executive director of East Cleveland Public Library, said his organization currently derives about 60 percent of its funding from the state. If the proposed House budget were passed, it would lead to direct cuts on his library’s services. 

“[Legislators] are undervaluing what libraries do for a community,” he told The Land. “We leverage resources for people who need basic things: safe spaces, access to the Internet, free lunches for kids under 18 and we have partnerships with food banks. There are so many resources here beyond books and they’re not being valued when legislators cut funding from public institutions like East Cleveland Public Library.” 

For a library system like the Heights Libraries, which services Cleveland Heights and University Heights, the cuts may not lead to as drastic a cut in services, but it would still lead to interruptions and rollbacks. 

Sheryl Banks, communications manager for the Heights Libraries, said her system gets about 75 percent of its funding from local support, and only 25 percent of its funding from the state. Still, cuts would need to be made.  

“In our case, we would have to start looking at our budget and other data to figure out what to cut. For instance, what days could we cut service hours to have the least negative impact on our patrons? What services could we reduce or eliminate to save money? Storytimes, afterschool programming for children? Our collections budget, that pays for books and other free resources? We would have to make some very hard choices,” she told The Land in an email. 

While the impacts would still pinch Heights Libraries, smaller and more rural libraries could be particularly devastated, Banks noted. 

“It would not be a stretch to say that some smaller libraries would probably have to close, leaving those communities without access to free books and newspapers and resources like computers and high-speed Internet, printing, and faxing. That would make it very, very difficult for people in those communities to do things like apply for benefits or get their tax forms, let alone access news and other information if they could not afford internet or subscriptions on their own,” she said. 

James Crawford, director of Lakewood Public Library, said about half of his library system’s funding comes from the PLF.  

“In these turbulent and trying times, it is leaders like Senator [Nickie] Antonio and Representative [Tristan] Rader [both Democrats representing Lakewood] who stand up for what is right and best for Ohioans, including support for Ohio’s public libraries, the best in the nation,” he said in an email. 

What library leaders are asking for

Nearly all of the library system leaders echoed the same message: residents should contact their Ohio representative and urge them to oppose these cuts. Strobel said that when similar cuts were threatened in 2009, actions by Ohio citizens led to a change in course by the Statehouse. 

Many of the libraries are providing forms that supporters can download, fill out and send to their representative. Strobel said CCPL’s form has already been downloaded and sent to legislators at least 4,000 times in approximately 12 hours. The Heights Libraries and East Cleveland Public Library sent contact information for Huffman and local legislators, along with suggestions on how to craft a resounding message. 

“It’s not hyperbolic to say that cuts to library funding strike at the heart of democracy because public libraries provide equal access to information for all people, regardless of income or background. Public libraries serve all people equally, for free. They level the playing field in a world that can make it hard for people to get a leg up,” Banks told The Land in an email. 

Strobel and Lattimore offered similar arguments. Beyond offering access to a wealth of information through media, their libraries also offered numerous community services, including: free meals for kids, English as second language classes, GED preparation, free tutoring, free early literacy programs, access to the Internet and hotspots, classes on numerous topics, including cooking and computer skills, and much more.