PA libraries wait for state budget: good news in Nashville, but not in Des Moines or Bridgeton, NJ.(News)(government finance and library budgets)

When the Pennsylvania General Assembly earlier this year passed a budget that includes a 50 percent cut in state funding for libraries--from $75 million to $37.5 million--library advocates said they hoped the money would be restored in the second stage of the budget process.

After Legislative Day on June 4, Glenn Miller, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association, said the situation was "very encouraging" (see News, LJ 7/03, p. 18). Miller said recently that the budget may not be resolved until November.

Because the state fiscal year begins July 1, 28 district library centers--which offer enhanced collections and consulting services--saw …