By Susan Tebben
Ohio Capital Journal
COLUMBUS — The November general election holds the future of some Ohio libraries in the balance, just as it holds the future of candidates for statewide and legislative office.
Voters across the state will see 16 libraries asking for local support, 11 of which will have renewal levies, two asking for renewals with an increase, and three with additional (new) levies, according to the Ohio Library Council.
“Depending on the library system, the levy may make up 40% of their revenue or more in some cases, so it’s very important and critical,” said Michelle Francis, executive director of the council.
The three library systems asking for additional help are Washington County Public Library with a 0.5-mill, 10-year measure; Toledo Lucas County Public Library with a three-mill, five-year levy, and Fairfield County’s Pickerington Public Library with a 1.5-mill continuing levy.
Stark County District Library is asking voters to renew its levy at an increased 2.3-mill, eight-year measure, up from the previous levy of 2 mills.
The Defiance Public Library wants to see approval of a 1.65-mill, 35-year levy, an increase of 0.9 mills from the levy the library says has been in place for more than two decades.
Asking for renewals are Ashland County’s Loudonville Public Library, Belmont County’s St. Clairsville Public Library and Barnesville Hutton Memorial Library, the Coshocton County District Library, Fulton County’s Swanton Public Library, the Guernsey County District Public Library, Hardin County’s Ada Public Library, Licking County’s Pataskala Public Library, Lorain County’s Herrick Memorial Library, Seneca County’s Bettsville Public Library, and the Wood County District Public Library.
Costs have gone up across the country, from the dinner table to the price of farm equipment, and libraries have not escaped that rise.
“It’s one of those things, and just like families, entities, and other organizations, libraries have been hit with inflationary costs as well,” Francis said.
Combined with reduced state funding through the Public Library Fund, keeping the lights on at a local library has relied more and more on local support.
In the last state operating budget, lawmakers in the Republican supermajority Ohio General Assembly changed the way the Public Library Fund appears in the budget, from a percentage of the General Revenue Fund to a lump-sum line item.
Advocates, including Francis and the Ohio Library Council, said changing the funding mechanism puts the fund at more risk for comprehensive cuts than it did when it was a percentage of the GRF.
The support necessary for local libraries includes a frequent talking point on Ohio’s campaign trail: property taxes.
Stark County’s library funding, for example, comes from 56% property taxes, according to the library’s own breakdown. The rest comes from mainly the state’s Public Library Fund (41%), along with investments (2%) and a combination of grants, donations, and fees (1%).
The library system said state funding has been reduced by $350,000 per year for it, while the cost of materials, salaries and staff benefits, along with security services, property insurance and vehicle repairs/maintenance have all “increased significantly.”
Failure to pass the levy would lead to reduced library hours, and a reduction in programs, services and materials, according to the Stark County system.
Public libraries remain popular among Ohioans, with a March 2026 poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies showing 90% of voters polled found public libraries to be “important to the community.”
The support in the poll extended across partisan lines, with 83% of Republicans, 85% of independents, and 93% of Democrats saying they believed they get their money’s worth in services at their local libraries, based on the taxes paid to get them.
The support matches a national poll conducted by the Knight Foundation and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, which in September found that 93% of Americans agree “budget cuts to their local public library would impact their community.”
The poll also found that 63% of Americans “view their local public library as an essential public service.”
Libraries have their roles as the election draws near as well. Local branches helped as voters met the Oct. 5 deadline for voter registration in the state, and systems like the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library have collaborated with local organizations like the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and the NAACP as the Greater Cincinnati Voter Collaborative to support voter participation.
“The library communicates with eligible voters through its branches, with digital resources, and through its legacy outreach program,” a profile on the American Library Association’s website stated of the library’s work in the collaborative.
The library association itself provides a voter engagement guide for libraries across the country to help increase voter turnout in each state.
“Voters trust their local libraries to provide accurate information about registration requirements, deadlines, locations, election dates, and ballot information,” said association president Dr. Maria McCauley.
“But libraries are more than voter education centers; they are civic connectors, places where people can interact with their neighbors and experience different perspectives.”