300 SW 10th Ave. phone: 785-296-3296 Rm 312-N fax: 785-368-7291 Topeka, KS 66612-1593 www.kslib.info Eric Norris, State Librarian State Library of Kansas Laura Kelly, Governor February 1, 2021 TO: Higher Education Budget Committee Rep. Susan Humphries, Chair Rep. Barbara Wasinger, Vice Chair Rep. Brandon Woodard, Ranking Minority Member Rep. Mike Amyx, Member Rep. Jesse Burris, Member Rep. Brett Fairchild, Member Rep. Ken Rahjes, Member Rep. Bill Rhiley, Member Rep. Valdenia Winn, Member FROM: Eric W. Norris, State Librarian RE: Budget of the State Library of Kansas Thank you for allowing me to testify before the Higher Education Budget Committee on the State Library’s FY2022 budget. The challenge of the last ten months has been difficult for every agency, organization, and resident of Kansas, and has without a doubt made the task of planning for the upcoming fiscal year that much more challenging and important. At the onset of the pandemic early in March 2020, the State Library had the most critical financial obligations and a majority of our major contracts procured and covered. Sensing potential difficult financial times ahead for the state of Kansas, we made the decision to halt all but the absolute essential budgetary obligations. We ceased all spending beyond salaries, benefits, and the most minimum updates to online services. Though we did come in under budget, it affected the quality of service and online content we were able to provide to the residents of Kansas as we were in simple maintenance mode. The continued mission of the State Library of Kansas is to deliver the highest level of library service to all Kansas residents through direct and indirect services. The State Library also strives to increase reading readiness, on-grade reading acuity, improving chances for academic and career success, and provide lifelong education services to all Kansas residents. Finally, the State Library helps to start and grow businesses, and assists Kansas residents with employment opportunities. The State Library serves a large patron group, which includes all branches of state government, all manner of libraries in the state, and every Kansas resident, through three service divisions: Reference, Statewide Services, and Talking Books. Each division of the State Library is distinct yet services are coordinated and work together in meeting varied patron needs in communities across the state of Kansas. As a legislator, you are probably most familiar with our Reference Division which utilizes both a physical and online collection of information resources to provide research assistance by phone, email, instant message, or face-to-face. The Kansas Governmental Information (KGI) database is a permanent online archive of state publications issued by Kansas state agencies, commissions, and institutions. Your constituents are probably most familiar with one or more of our other Statewide Services: • Statewide subscriptions to electronic resources: o Included are job and career enhancement tools, GED and college entrance practice exams, consumer and health information, genealogy database access, state and federal governmental information, and language learning resources. o In FY2020, Kansas residents performed approximately 168-million searches in these resources and participated in over 160,000 learning module sessions. o The subscription cost for access for every Kansas resident is just over $1M. If these resources were priced at an individual institutional level, the cost would be above $53M. That is a cost avoidance of $52M. • Interlibrary Loan (ILL), making the collections of all libraries available to all Kansans. • A collection of digital books for adults and younger readers, including preschoolers who are learning to read. In FY2020, more than 243,000 children’s books were viewed and over 468,000 eBooks and digital audiobooks were checked out. The Talking Book Service, headquartered in Emporia, Kansas, provides books and magazines in braille and recorded format with playback equipment at no cost to any Kansas resident unable to use standard print because of visual or physical impairment. The program is coordinated through the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. In FY2020, 5,015 active Talking Books users circulated over 145,000 items and downloaded over 55,000 titles. You will note that the State Library uses Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds, Federal funds made available through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) agency. These funds are used to supplement database subscriptions, the Summer Reading Program, general eBook collections and early literacy eBook subscriptions, ILL catalog software, and Talking Book services. LSTA funds are vital in helping us provide reliable access to electronic resources and excellent library services to all Kansans no matter where they reside. The State Library utilizes LSTA funds to digitize state documents which are in high demand or are fragile and should not be handled. The total amount which the State Library receives in Federal LSTA funding is approximately $1.9M. I would like to point out that while this amount is not a great deal of funding when compared to Federal funding received by other state agencies, I sincerely believe that the State Library utilizes these dollars in a very cost effective and efficient way so as to deliver an enormous amount of unique services to the residents of Kansas. Thank you for your time and consideration. .