Summer 2002
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From the Director...Further Reductions in State Budgets Likely
The 2002 legislative session required further state budget cuts. The legislature also enacted tax increases in order to balance the budget. Even so, revenues have continued to fall significantly short of projections. State senators will return to Lincoln on July 30 to reconsider state appropriations for the July 1, 2002 - June 30, 2003 fiscal year. The solutions and decisions will be even more difficult. With state fund reductions enacted in the 2001 special session and the 2002 legislative session, the Nebraska Library Commission's state appropriations have been reduced eight percent, $313,545, for the 2003 fiscal year. These actions were part of across-the-board reductions applied to many state agency budgets. For the Library Commission, budget reductions have been made in personnel expenditures, library materials purchases, publishing, travel, equipment, and telecommunications. The state funds reduction also includes direct aid to public libraries, regional library systems, and interlibrary loan compensation, as well as project grants for children and young adult services, continuing education, and scholarships. In announcing his call for a special session, Governor Johanns asked state agencies to limit expenditures and to plan for further budget reductions. Within this tentative environment, the Library Commission will operate with contingencies in mind until further budget decisions are made during the July and August special legislative session. Rod Wagner
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Appointments Made to Advisory Council and Committee | ||||||||
Nancy Escamilla, Scottsbluff, is this year's one new member on the Nebraska State Advisory Council on Libraries. She was appointed this spring by the Nebraska Library Commission. The Commission reappointed the following members to second terms: Mike Herbison, Kearney; Ruth Seward, Lexington; and Kathy Lute, Ogallala. Becky Baker, of Seward, joins the Council this year as the Nebraska Library Association ex-officio member, serving in her capacity as President-elect of the Nebraska Library Association. The Nebraska State Advisory Council on Libraries is established by the Nebraska Library Commission to advise the Commission on statewide library development and planning. The State Advisory Council on Libraries provides advice on library service issues; reviews and evaluates interlibrary cooperative and resource sharing plans and programs; and assists in the development, review, and evaluation of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Plan. For more information, see the Library Commission home page, nlc.nebraska.gov, search on State Advisory Council or contact Sally Snyder, Federal Aid Administrator, 402-471-4003, 800-307-2665, e-mail: Sally Snyder. |
The Nebraska Library Commission recently appointed four new members to the Advisory Committee of the Library Commission's Talking Book and Braille Service. New to the Committee are Roy Hobley, Lincoln; Bruce Howe, Wood River; Deb McWilliams, Syracuse; and Kathy Tooker, Omaha. Alisa Gunther, of Gering, was appointed to a second two-year term. The next meeting of the committee is planned for August 23. The Committee represents the needs of borrowers and offers advice concerning policies, services, and programs. For information about Commission services to Nebraskans who cannot see to read or hold a book, visit the Commission home page, nlc.nebraska.gov, search on Talking Book and Braille, or contact Dave Oertli, Talking Book and Braille Service Director, 402-471-4005, 800-742-7691, e-mail: Dave Oertli. | ||||||||
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tate tax revenues have continued to fall below projections and have prompted Governor Johanns to call another special legislative session to make further reductions in the state budget. Nebraska, along with most other states, experienced steady growth in tax revenues throughout the 1990s. Last year, tax revenues began falling below projections. It was wishful thinking to believe that the October 2001 special session would bring budgets in line with tax revenues and solve the problem. 
