A bill in the House (HB 2033) that would take the State Library and the Legacy Project (oral history) out of the Secretary of State’s office and place them in a combined Department of Heritage, Arts and Culture (HAC), along with the two Historical Societies, the Arts Commission, the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the Tourism Board, and the Film Board. The proposal would also reduce the Library’s budget by 20% with some funds returned from the Heritage Center budget.

The bill also would switch the Heritage Center Fund to the proposed Department of HAC along with the fundraising capacity of the State Library and the Legacy Project.

The Office of the Secretary of State is opposed to the bill. The State Library has found a champion in the Secretary of State. There seems to be no compelling reason to move these programs to another agency.

There is concern that some parts of the State Library’s mission may not be a good fit under the Heritage, Arts and Culture umbrella:

• The State Library has an important role in the preservation of the record of state government through the state publications depository function, which requires close cooperation with the Digital Archives for the preservation of state publications in digital formats.
• The State Library serves as a regional federal depository library, ensuring that Washington residents have access to the records and research of the federal government.
• The Library serves visually-impaired, physically-handicapped and learning disabled persons across the state through the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library by providing digital audio-books, braille, large-print books and a radio reading service.
• The State Library provides services through branches in the state psychiatric hospitals and the larger correctional centers, offering educational and recreational materials to support re-entry initiatives and treatment plans for residents.
• The State Library works with public, school and academic libraries across the state, using federal funds to strengthen their services to their communities. This includes projects as diverse as working with the Northwest Open Access Network to place high speed broadband in rural public libraries, organizing group purchases for libraries, and facilitating the E-Rate application for libraries.
• The State Library is actively involved in the statewide Early Learning movement and is a member of the Early Learning Public Library Partnership.

The text of the bill can be found at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2011-12/Pdf/Bills/House%20Bills/2033.pdf. The bill’s sponsors are listed there.

For more information please contact Rand Simmons, Acting State Librarian, [email protected], 360.570.5585.