Local governments have the statutory authority to establish libraries that
are supported primarily by public funds and are intended for use by the
general public. These public libraries provide a variety of services that
commonly include lending print, audio, video, and other materials to the
public, as well as providing research services and Internet access.
Under s. 13.94(8), Wis. Stats., the Legislative Audit Bureau is required
to conduct reviews to identify local government practices that can save
costs or provide for more effective service delivery. Best practices reports
seek to build upon successful local efforts by identifying and publicizing
efficient approaches. This report, which focuses on the provision of
library services:
summarizes funding and statutory requirements for libraries
and regional library systems, which provide specific services
and programs that may not be offered by local libraries, under
ch. 43, Wis. Stats.;
analyzes financial and other data that libraries and regional library
systems are statutorily required to report to the Department of
Public Instruction (DPI), which provides support to libraries and
regional library systems;
includes information from interviews with 21 public library and
all 17 regional library system directors, as well as representatives
of the Wisconsin Library Association and League of Wisconsin
Municipalities; and
reports results from 180 of the 388 library and all 17 regional library
system directors who responded to our online surveys.
Funding Library Services
Libraries and regional library
systems are funded with municipal
and county taxes; state and federal
aid; income from contracts, donations,
gifts, fees, fines; and special
fund-raising activities by “friends”
and foundation groups.
Funding for library services
increased 14.0 percent over the
five-year period from 2002
through 2006, from $201.7 million
to $230.0 million. In 2006, municipalities
provided 59.4 percent of
total funding, or $136.7 million.
Expenditures for library services
totaled $210.4 million, of which
70.6 percent was for employee
salaries and benefits.
Wisconsin’s 17 regional library
systems were established to increase
access to library materials and
services for Wisconsin residents
and to promote resource sharing
among public libraries. They
are funded by state aid, which
includes general purpose revenue
(GPR) and segregated revenue
from the Universal Service
Fund and is distributed by DPI.
Each system receives the same
percentage increase in funding
each year. The Milwaukee County
Federated Library System receives
the largest share, which was
$2.7 million in 2006.
Regional Library Systems
Under state statutes, regional library
systems are required to provide
services such as interlibrary loans
of materials, reference assistance,
and consulting services to member
libraries.
Most member libraries provide
access to online catalogs that
allow patrons to view collections
and request materials from other
member libraries within their
system. More than one-half of
libraries responding to our survey
indicated that these online
catalogs are the most valuable
service provided by systems.
The regional library systems also
offer assistance with technology
support, administrative issues,
public relations, and collection
development. These services
may be provided directly by
the system, by a resource library
within the system, or collaboratively
among systems. For example,
four systems currently collaborate
to provide online catalogs, and
most systems work together to
provide joint workshops for
training library staff.
Providing Library Services
Statewide, the number of library
materials circulated increased
11.8 percent in five years, from
53.3 million in 2002 to 59.6 million
in 2006. Libraries have responded
to the increase by installing selfcheckout
machines, cross-training
staff, and using volunteers to
address staffing needs.
Libraries have also developed their
collections and services to address
the needs of various groups of users
and demographic shifts within
communities. For example, some
libraries have begun purchasing
more large-print and audio books
or providing materials to local
nursing homes and senior centers.
Others maintain special collections
in Spanish or Hmong, or offer a
bilingual story hour, because of an
increase in non-English speaking
residents.
Providing computers with Internet
access is one of the most popular
services offered by libraries.
The number of public-access
computers at libraries increased
20.3 percent, from 4,477 in 2002 to
5,386 in 2006, and 53.9 percent of
the libraries that responded to
our survey indicated a need for
additional Internet-connected
computer terminals to meet
patrons’ needs.
More than 50.0 percent of libraries
responding to our survey have
provided wireless Internet
service for patrons with their own
computers or set time limits on
the use of existing computers in
order to meet demand.
Library Service Standards
In 2005, DPI issued service
standards to help local libraries
plan for future activities and
assess their performance relative
to all public libraries in Wisconsin.
We found that 32 libraries, or
8.4 percent, did not offer basic
levels of service for any of the four
standards we reviewed. In contrast,
three libraries met the highest
levels of service for all of the
standards we reviewed.
Best Practices
It is a best practice for regional
library systems to:
encourage all member libraries
to participate in systemwide
online catalogs of library
materials
(p. 34);
assist their member libraries in
maintaining current information
technology
(p. 36);
periodically identify services
needed by member libraries’
patrons
(p. 39);
periodically evaluate the
type and amount of services
provided by resource libraries
and assess whether the amounts
paid for these services are
appropriate
(p. 41); and
explore additional opportunities
for collaboration with other
systems that can lead to more
efficient and lower-cost delivery
of services
(p. 42).
It is a best practice for libraries to:
support their services with an
array of funding sources and
consider the formation of friends
and foundation groups to assist
with fund-raising and provide
volunteer support
(p. 26);
periodically evaluate
cross-training and centralizing
responsibilities as means
for staff to serve patrons
more effectively
(p. 44);
assess the extent to which
volunteers can be effectively
used to assist in providing
library services
(p. 45);
periodically review their
collections to identify and
remove materials that are
not being circulated, and use
rotating collections or other
means to provide access to
more extensive or specialized
materials from other libraries
(p. 46);
periodically assess and modify
their services in order to best
address the changing needs
of patrons
(p. 48);
encourage the use of electronic
resources, such as online
databases and library catalogs,
and participate in their
regional library system’s
online catalog
(p. 49);
periodically evaluate the use of
technology and automation for
serving patrons and reducing
the need for additional staff,
as well as the availability of
technology support from both
library and system staff
(p. 51); and
inform local officials and the
general public, through local
media outlets and the Internet,
about the programs and
services they provide
(p. 52).
It is a best practice for libraries,
library boards, and local governing
bodies to:
use DPI library standards to
help assess the adequacy of
current library services and
assist in planning efforts
(p. 54).