Gov. Doyle proposes Universal Service Funds for library programs in state budget

Governor Doyle used Universal Service Funds (USF) to cover costs to continue for several library programs in his 2009-11 state budget proposal, announced last night. Public library system aids received an additional $1.5 million over the biennium, maintaining state funding at 8.2 percent of local library aids. Notably, Gov. Doyle proposed that the entire base funding for systems aids also come from USF, rather than from general purpose revenues. Likewise, he proposed that the costs to continue Newsline for the Blind, BadgerLink, and statewide service contracts come entirely from the USF.

A DPI proposal to provide an additional $448,000 over the biennium for statewide delivery service was not included in the governor's budget recommendations. Also left out of the governor's proposal was the $6 million requested by UW Regents to fund the Digital Commons, a digital library initiative that would support research and advanced study across the UW System.