Maintenance, in particular, can drain a library s budget. Demands on regional public library systems to provide increased levels of support to members make funding issues critical.
Technology is a permanent ongoing cost that involves more than a one-time purchase of hardware.
Upgrades and maintenance of the information infrastructure are unavoidable expenditures. When you add the upswing in public use of libraries and their services across the board, its clear that an increase is long overdue. As the primary access point for all community members, public libraries play a critical role in narrowing the digital divide that excludes low-income populations from information available electronically. The regional public library systems received a modest increase in Basic System Support in the last biennium, however, other sources of funding were eliminated resulting in a net loss in most instances. Increased funding will allow regional systems to provide more comprehensive support to members.