On Nov. 3, the Pickerington Public Library will ask voters in the Pickerington Local School District to support a 10-year, 0.75-mill operating levy.

The levy marks the first time in the library's 100-year history that its board of trustees has sought local funding.

"The question is, 'What is the community entitled to?'" library director Suellen Goldsberry said. "We believe a good, growing community needs an outstanding public library."

According to library officials, the levy is needed because of dwindling support from the state, which provides approximately 97 percent of its funding. Goldsberry said state funding is expected to drop from $1.1-million last year to $820,000 or less this year.

"State revenue has either been frozen or decreasing since 2001," she said. "In September, our check (from the state) was approximately $57,000. It takes $65,000 a month for us to pay the bills."

In 2004, the Wagnalls Memorial Library in Lithopolis also became qualified for public funding.

Prior to 2004, the Fairfield County District Library received 75 percent of the state funding allocated to to local libraries in the county, and the Pickerington library received the remaining 25 percent. Now, the Wagnalls library receives 8.3 percent of state library funds available to Fairfield County, further reducing Pickerington's share.

As a result of state budget reductions, the library on June 1 cut it operating hours to 47 per week. At the outset of 2007, the library was open 68 hours weekly.

Additionally, the library eliminated four staff positions this summer.

According to levy supporters, the levy would generate $830,800 annually for the library. Citizens for the Pickerington Library said it would cost a homeowner in the Pickerington Local School District an additional $22.97 per $100,000 home valuation each year.

If passed, revenues from the levy likely would flow to the library by April. After that, library officials hope to increase operating hours, bolster the purchse of materials such as books, magazines and DVDs, increase programming for teens, adults and senior citizens and establish outreach services to homebound individuals, senior housing residents and preschools.

"If the levy does pass, when revenue stabilizes, we will restore operating hours," Goldsberry said. "We will increase our materials budget."

She said passage of the levy would help the library meet a state standard that calls for public libraries to spend at least 20 percent of their revenue on the purchase of books, movies, DVDs and other materials. Currently, budget constraints have forced the Pickerington library to spend less than 15 percent of its revenues on resources, Goldsberry said.

Failure to pass the levy would result in deeper cuts, she said.

"I'm trying not to think about that, but if the levy does not pass, it will mean fewer operation hours, fewer staff," she said. "It will mean people's jobs, and we already don't have many materials that patrons would like to see."

The library levy has been endorsed by the Pickerington City Council, Pickerington Mayor Mitch O'Brien and the Pickerington Senior Center and all three Violet Township trustees have personally endorsed the levy.

nellis@thisweeknews.com