Libraries of various types have existed for thousands of years; probably as long as there have been written records and a reason to preserve them. Tax supported libraries in the United States date to the early 1830's. Public libraries are usually operated by some form of local government, such as a city or county. They typically receive about 1-2% of the local tax base and often have a heavy dependence on property tax.

The San Luis Obispo City-County Library is considered a Special Revenue Fund, and is governed by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Luis Obispo. Current revenues break down as follows: Secured property taxes (on homes, businesses) = 63%; Unitary property tax (on electrical utilities) = 12%; State aid (Public Library Fund, Motor Vehicle License Fees, etc.) = 12%; County General Fund = 6%; Library fees (fines, lost books, etc.) = 4%; Miscellaneous (book sales, interest, etc.) = 3%. Belying its name, only two cities in the County provide ongoing funds or services for their libraries; the City of San Luis Obispo contributes about $13,000 annually for Wednesday evening hours, as well as funds for partial upkeep of the City Library building and grounds; the City of Morro Bay provides custodial services for the branch library's community room. The Library's adopted budget for Fiscal Year 2000-01 is a little over $6 million. The largest chunk of the Library's Budget is spent on employees' salaries and benefits-about 48%. Other large expenditure categories include books and materials purchases, building maintenance and overhead charges.

A serious obstacle now and in the years ahead is for revenues to keep pace with expenditures. Most revenue growth potential resides in regular (secured) property taxes, but is hampered by constant reductions in the unitary (electrical utility properties) tax. State aid has increased in recent years, but hasn't yet reached statutory levels. The Library Budget continues to suffer from the State's decision to shift monies from the Library's Budget to local schools ($4+million lost since 1992). Any new local taxes for the Library must go to voters in a local election and be approved by a super-majority (67% of the voters) under the requirements of Proposition 13.

Public libraries are one of the most popular services government provides; probably the most heavily used and cost effective of ALL public services. All too often, however, their funding is inadequate, undependable and the first in line for budget cuts. Getting "bucks" to pay for "books" is a challenge we all share.
~ Brian A. Reynolds, Library Director