Gov. Jim Doyle’s plan to allocate $12.6 million from the Universal Service Fund to address the needs of public libraries has some state officials questioning the plan.
As part of his 2009-11 budget, the governor plans to use the USF, which draws from a tax on landline phones, to cover the costs of public libraries instead of using general-purpose revenue.
Created in 1994, the USF was designed to make sure all Wisconsinites stay connected to the latest telecommunications technology.
Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, said by abandoning the use of general-purpose revenue as a means of funding public libraries and instead using USF money, Doyle is misusing the fund.
“[Public libraries] are very important to me, I think they should be publicly funded,” Montgomery said. “I don’t think that there should be a gimmick that is used instead. I would question [Doyle’s] support for public libraries.”
According to Montgomery, it is important public libraries be able to provide the latest technology and Internet access, and the USF should help with these costs. However, he thinks using it to pay for all public library needs is a stretch.
Even though some may question using the USF to fund public libraries, Doyle thinks the measure is a step in the right direction, according to Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner.
Sensenbrenner said using the USF to pay for public libraries is within the bounds of what the fund is supposed to be used for.
“The Universal Service Fund was set up to aid communication across the state. In past budgets, it had been used to fund things like libraries and a news line for the visually impaired,” Sensenbrenner said. “It will fund libraries across the state … keeping with the purpose of this fund.”
Paul Nelson, the development and legislative liaison for the Wisconsin Library Association, said the current state of the economy is the reason why more USF dollars should go towards public libraries.
He added using the USF to fund public libraries would assure they stay on the cutting edge of computer and online service in an age when people need to make regular use of this technology and may not have it at home.
“In many cases now, in order for people to apply for a job or fill out a form for a social service agency, they have to go online,” Nelson said. “These agencies and companies are telling people to go to their libraries to fill out these forms.”
According to Patrick Gasper, communications officer from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the amount of Internet use in public libraries has been on the rise in recent years, as seen from an increase in the number of online searches being conducted from libraries.
Gasper added no matter how public libraries are funded, they are a great investment.
“For every $1 that is put into libraries, $4 come out,” Gasper said.
