OH PLs would get fiscal boost.(Ohio's public libraries)(Brief article)

Governor also proposes new, broader funding sources

After years of stagnation and even declines in state support for public libraries in Ohio, Gov. Ted Strickland has proposed two changes that provide some light at the end of the tunnel: increases of less than one percent in 2008 and 2009, plus a broader tax base for support.

Ohio Library Council (OLC) president Cindy Lombardo called them "positive changes." Public libraries in Ohio are generally well funded, thanks to significant state funding. Since 1985, they have received a percentage of personal income tax collections--from 1993 to 2001, the figure was 5.7 percent, but the Library and Local Government …