Proposal from Decorah Librarian Lorraine Borowski and 10 others would save State of Iowa $615,000 a year

An 11-member panel, including Lorraine Borowski of the Decorah Public Library, has drawn up a plan to merge the State Library and Library Service Areas into "Iowa Library Services."  The plan would save an estimated $615,000 a year in state spending--while maintaining service.

Currently there are six library service areas, which provide a range of services to local public libraries.  The panel's proposal would eliminate those LSAs, saving money on administrative costs.

Borowski says the new "one stop" system is advantageous because it brings together all the services offered to local libraries and united them under the State Library.  "Sometimes services overlap (currently)," she says.  The new system would give local libraries one central contact.

Borowski agreed to serve on the panel, which spent  about five months crafting the plan, then helped to get it drawn up into "House File 103."  The measure has gotten committee approval and now will come up for votes by the full Iowa House and Senate.

"I was amazed at how much you have to go through," says Borowski, who is proud that the legislation now has bipartisan support.  She's hoping the measure passes both houses of the legislature.  It would come at a good time because state funding for the State Library and service areas has fallen from $3.5 million in 2009 to $2.4 million proposed for 2012.