Often asked questions:
Do you still get money from the Carnegie's for your library?
- No. Carnegie only gave money to towns to build buildings. It was the community's responsibility to fund the operation of the library.
Where does the library get its funding?
- All the public libraries (251) in Ohio share in a percentage of the tax revenue the state takes in. The money is divided by a formula and given to each county. A county budget commission decides how much each library in the county receives. Mercer County has four seperate library systems: Coldwater, Ft. Recovery, Rockford and Mercer County District. The Mercer County District library has three branch libraries in Chickasaw, St. Henry and Mendon.
How has the slow economy hurt the library in Rockford and others across the state?
- Because we receive our funding from a share of tax revenues and tax revenues are very low our income is decreased. We are experiencing the same problems that all government offices are struggling with. With less income coming in we have less money to spend on books and other library materials. Many libraries have put a hiring freeze on, layed off employees, reduced hours and cut back on all purchases.
