Illinois libraries could soon see more books on their shelves.

Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian, awarded Illinois libraries almost $14.2 million in per capita grants. Each library is awarded $1.21 for every resident in the city. The DeKalb Public Library was awarded $51,550.40 and the Sycamore Public Library was awarded $17,998.27.

White said in an April 18 press release that he believes libraries are important to Illinois and they depend on these grants.

“I have always believed that Illinois’ libraries are a cornerstone for our communities, places where every citizen can go for information, education or entertainment,” White said in the release. “This valuable funding my office awards each year helps ensure that our public libraries have the resources to address the needs of their patrons. Libraries count on these per capita grants for important expenses such as paying for books, personnel, equipment and electronic access.”

Dee Coover, director of the DeKalb Public Library, said the library will use the grant for its online databases and for membership fees for the Prairie Area Library System (PALS). The system is a group of libraries that share books. Coover said if someone at the DeKalb Public Library needs a book that it does not have, they can get it with an inter-library loan from any library in the system.

There are libraries from Joliet to Galena that are a part of PALS. Coover said each library must pay a fee to be a member.

“Since we are a larger library, the fee is more extensive,” Coover said.

Because the DeKalb Public Library is a city library, Coover said most of its funding comes from the taxpayers so the per capita grants are just small grants to help out.

Sarah Tobias, director of the Sycamore Public Library, said the library recently received the grant and uses it to increase its circulation.

“Materials that people can check out are very important,” Tobias said.

Tobias said the library asked to use the funds to buy new books, audio/visual materials, online databases and periodicals. She said, unfortunately, funding for materials is usually the first thing that gets cut when the budget gets tight, because a library cannot run without electricity and water.

White has also proposed a $2.5 million increase in general revenue funds for libraries and literacy programs in the fiscal year 2009 budget.

“I encourage citizens who love their libraries to contact their state senators and representatives and urge them to support these modest funding increases,” White said in the press release. “Our libraries will remain the best and most reliable source available to citizens for information if we provide them with some of the financial resources they need to meet patron needs.”

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