1 his year the local library is scheduled to

1 his year the local library is scheduled to receive nearly $12,800 of its $64,700 budget from state funds. 1 Next year, unless the General Assembly amends the budget, the state contribution will drop to $6,400. Library Board Chairman William Young, librarian Nicki Lynch and board members John McCarthy and Frank Warner drove to Harrisonburg to attend the meeting, one of five scheduled in December and January on the state budget. At the hearing in James Madison University’s theater Dr. Young said that the amount spent on libraries is not a major financial factor in state spending, “but it is a major force in our own county.” 1"He said that the county is proud to have a new library built mostly with lbcal donations not tax funds.' He noted that book use has doubled since the new IiI hrary opened and that the library has cooperative programs with the literacy volunteers, the local schools - and the jail inmates. I *; He noted that cuts in state support have affected ;not only the local library but also the state library. * ““The staff in Richmond is less available for technical assistance,” he said. Mr. McCarthy, speaking as county administrator as well as a member of the library board, noted that local spending on the library has increased 108 percent in the last five years while state spending for the library’s budget has increased 12 percent. See Library, Page 3 6