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Mitchell library board urges advocacy as potential State Library funding cuts could curtail resources
Summary
Board members were asked to contact state legislators to oppose proposed reductions in the State Library budget; director Kevin warned reductions could jeopardize courier service, interlibrary-loan software and database access, citing an estimated $89,000 subscription cost for EBSCO databases if the State Library stopped covering them.
Board members at the Mitchell Area Public Library meeting discussed statewide funding threats and next steps after staff urged trustees to contact state legislators to oppose proposed cuts to the State Library in Governor Noem’s budget.
Kevin, the library director, said the State Library currently pays for services used statewide and locally — including courier service that moves materials among libraries, interlibrary-loan software and subscriptions to research databases — and that the loss of those services would have tangible costs for Mitchell. “The State Library pays for the courier service that, you know, the couriers books between libraries so that saves us greatly on postage costs and they also pay for a software an interlibrary loan software so that all of the smaller libraries and large libraries can communicate and send requests back and forth,” Kevin said. He later reported that a vendor quotation for the EBSCO database collection would cost Mitchell roughly $89,000 to subscribe to on its own.
Kevin and other speakers urged trustees to contact state legislators to maintain the State Library’s funding. A board member noted the governor’s inaugural remarks expressed willingness to consider restoring some funding cuts but offered no specifics; staff said the board’s most immediate work would be advocacy and coordination with neighboring libraries if funding were reduced.
Library staff explained other State Library services the board relies on, particularly training and the annual Jump Start event that provides programming ideas and cost-saving collaboration among libraries. Kevin said smaller libraries often lean on State Library staff for day-to-day technical support and program guidance.
The board’s strategic-planning committee also reported progress. Kevin said the committee had selected goals and sent a draft with suggested specificity to State Librarian George Seaman for review; Seaman returned feedback asking that the draft add timelines and measurable indicators. Kevin told trustees he planned to reconvene the committee with staff and bring a revised plan to the March meeting for board approval.
Ending
Trustees asked staff to prioritize advocacy in the coming month and to include potential service impacts and cost estimates in future updates so the board can coordinate outreach to legislators and possible sponsors or partner organizations.
