Public library systems say the services they provide go well beyond books. And now, they’re getting extra federal aid to offer more help to those who need it, including Wisconsin communities. The 1-point-9 trillion-dollar stimulus package recently signed by President Joe Biden sets aside 200-million dollars for libraries. Wisconsin Library Association president Sherry Machones says the Badger State will get about 3-point-2 million. Fond du Lac Public Library director Jon Mark Bolthouse says there are services that will greatly benefit from stimulus grant funding. Bolthouse says there has been a 300 percent increase in demand for e-books and audio books during the pandemic. Bolthouse says libraries have been a lifeline in low-income communities with limited internet access during the pandemic. The Association says system directors around the state have been talking about ways to maximize federal resources so that many regions will benefit. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will review applications for funding. Also in the stimulus package is seven billion dollars in funding to reimburse library systems and schools for the cost of providing internet hot spots, as well as devices that have wi-fi capabilities. Republicans in Congress have criticized some of the provisions, such as the one for libraries, saying it goes beyond responding to immediate needs from the crisis.
