State Aid to Public Libraries and Supplemental Public Funding
Since 1974, the Library Commission has administered a program for providing direct state aid to public libraries in Nebraska. From its inception, the state aid program for public libraries in Nebraska has been tied to performance. "State Aid funds will emphasize the development of library services and resources to meet community and area needs. Maintenance of local effort and progress in meeting Standards for Public Libraries will be considered in the review of grant applications." (Overtones from the Underground, 4:5, 1976)
In 1999 the state aid formula was revised to include an incentive payment. A percentage incentive payment is paid to libraries that receive funding from a public entity outside their main funding source. The purpose of this is to encourage libraries to seek additional public funds to support the services that, in many cases, they currently offer to people who live outside their basic service area.
The goal of the incentive payment is to give library staff and board members some ability to effect an increase a library's state aid payment. If a library director can initiate or increase public funds received from a county, this will also result in an increase the amount of state aid received.
Since the implementation of the incentive state aid payments, over $430,000 has been paid to libraries as additional direct state aid:
- $25,880 in 2000
- $26,550 in 2001
- $27,319 in 2002
- $30,238 in 2003
- $31,181 in 2004
- $31,301 in 2005
- $31,676 in 2006
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$33,450 in 2007
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$31,087 in 2008
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$32,718 in 2009
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$35,143 in 2010
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$36,570 in 2011
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$29,134 in 2012
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$29,943 in 2013