Yes, in several ways.

First, we have been formally notified by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services that the proposed cuts, coupled with the shifting of State Library funds to the Department of Corrections and the Department of Social and Health Services, will, if adopted, violate federal “maintenance-of-effort” requirements. See their letter of January 20, 2003. Preliminary estimates suggest federal funds for local libraries will be reduced by 50%.

Second, the State Library coordinates statewide joint purchasing agreements for online, full-text access to over 2,000 magazines – saving over $8 million per year. This effort and these savings will be jeopardized if the State Library is crippled or is forced to close its doors.

Third, the reference librarians at the State Library who serve state employees and the public also serve local libraries requesting materials for inter-library loan or requesting an answer to a reference question regarding state government, state history or other subjects.

Yes, we are at risk of losing our collection of federal documents. The State Library is a regional depository with a complete collection of federal documents dating back to the era before statehood. Recently-published federal publications are heavily used by state regulatory agencies. Many historic federal documents are rare, and some exist nowhere else, thus are of major importance to historians and genealogists. These materials belong to the federal government so long as the State Library provides full public access during regular business hours.

The U.S. Government Printing Office has formally notified us by letter that they will place us on probation for six months if the planned budget cuts and cutbacks in public service are adopted. After the first six months, we must return the collection to the federal government at state expense, including replacement of any missing items. Many items in our federal collection are extremely rare historical volumes available nowhere else. Once gone, these priceless items will never return to Washington State.

The proposed Senate-passed budget cuts eliminate services to both state employees and to the general public. Reference assistance, whether by phone, email, or in person, will no longer be available. Online databases will also go away. These databases include ProQuest, Nexus-Lexis, EBSCO, Ovid, Infotrieve, and BIOSIS. Database licenses and journal subscriptions for both print and electronic formats will be cancelled. Table of contents services will cease. Inter-library borrowing of materials will no longer be available. Service to legislative staff will end.

The historical, state document, and federal document collections used by the public will remain. However, those librarians that provide customer service are almost entirely eliminated in the Senate-passed budget. At best, the State Library would be opened by appointment only or for very limited hours each week.

The federal documents encompass publications produced by federal agencies. The publications span topics as diverse as environmental studies, consumer help advice, and historical documents such as treaties. This collection contains federal publications about the State of Washington. As examples of its value, this collection contains the US Congressional Serial Set dating back to 1817 and the American State Papers published beginning in 1832. The Brooklyn Public Library had its Serial Set appraised at a value of $6,250,000. The Serial Set is just one of the many treasures currently available to Washington’s citizens.

Because the Senate-passed supplemental budget cuts staffing dramatically, reference service and access to these collections will diminish. The State will not meet the minimum service requirements of the federal depository program. The Government Printing Office (GPO) will place the State Library on a sixth-month probation. If it still fails to meet the requirements, the State Library would be required to inventory the federal documents (estimated as 1,000,000 volumes) and replace them if possible. Then the collection would need to be boxed and shipped to Washington, D.C. at the State’s expense--estimated by a professional moving company at $250,000.

The State Library is making significant progress in listing these collections in the library’s online catalog. The Territorial collection and the Washington newspaper collection have recently been completely listed in the catalog. The Library is also making significant progress in adding more state and federal documents. This activity will cease. The public’s access to these collections both electronically and by visiting the library will diminish.

The proposed supplemental budget would implement the budget cuts effective May 1, 2003. The proposed biennial budget would implement the budget cuts effective July 1, 2003, for the 2004-2005 biennium. The Governor cuts the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library, but the Senate supplement does not. Otherwise, the proposed cuts are the same.

As with the federal documents, the budget cuts will severely limit the service that can be provided to the public and to state employees. There will be insufficient staff to contact state agencies to obtain their publications, and to make documents available to library patrons. In some cases, the State Library is the only place to find some state publications. Service to this collection will be severely limited, adversely impacting many who use these documents for policymaking, litigating, documenting legislative history or for other purposes.

Essentially, because of severe staff reductions, the State Library will not be able to provide the current level of reference service for citizens and state employees. The Find-it! and Find-it Consumer! electronic services will continue. However, lack of staff will severely hinder the ability to provide timely assistance to the public, whether the request is in person, by phone, or by email – or to handle a wide array of informational requests.

The demand for services from the State Library has increased. The number of in-person, phone, and email reference requests; walk-in patrons; and use of the library’s web site and Internet resources have increased. Use by state workers of the new Infotrieve service has more than doubled since its first full month of operation. Use of the circulating Northwest collection has increased almost sevenfold from the beginning of 2002. The use of the microfilm collection has increased by more than 40 percent on average since the beginning of 2002. Despite the budget cuts last year, the State Library’s staff has responded to the challenge in a remarkable way. However, the proposed budget cuts are so severe that the ability of staff to provide these services will diminish drastically.

Local libraries are experiencing significant reduction in their funding. They depend on the State Library to borrow materials, receive information support, and to house state and federal publications. Cuts in services will impact local libraries. Further, the federal funds that benefit local libraries will diminish. Ability to provide services and training for local libraries will likewise decrease.

The Washington State Library receives federal funds through the Library Services and Technology Act commonly known as LSTA. The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the federal administrative agency and awards LSTA funds to the State Library.

Maintenance of effort (MOE) refers to the State’s responsibility to maintain funding for library programs and services that are consistent with the purposes of the federal LSTA legislation. This is a condition of eligibility. The maintenance of effort formula ensures that federal assistance results in an increased level of library-related activity and that a state does not simply replace state dollars with federal dollars over time. If the number of state dollars falls, federal funds decrease.

State funds must be appropriated to and expended by the State Library to qualify for the MOE requirement. State funds used to operate branch libraries in Department of Corrections and Department of Social and Health Services institutions, and to operate the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library have been used to meet MOE requirements. Proposed cuts or transfer of funds to other agencies in both of these areas will result in decreased federal funds.

Further, the State Library is required to provide a 34 percent match against federal funds.

In addition to state funds the non-federal "match" may include contributions from local sources, or from other non-federal entities, including corporations and foundations. Matching funds must be used only for authorized LSTA purposes. Federal matching requirements ensure that federal funds are leveraging non-federal contributions. They "assure local interest and involvement through financial participation."