CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 152/68
(By Delegate Rowe, Senators Palumbo and Stolllings) 3/19/15 House; 3/21/15 Senate
Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study the long-term needs for
maintenance and construction of local public libraries and methods for providing adequate funding to
meet those needs.
Whereas, Local public libraries have played an important role in the achievements of our
democracy since its inception and their role in sustained development of this country has been
recognized by the Founders of this country, by the great statesmen and orators of the Nineteenth
Century, by civil rights leaders, industrialists, journalists and technology innovators; and
Whereas, Local public libraries serve not as a mere adjunct to our educational system, but as an
integral and critical component of it, which is as significant as the construction and maintenance of
public schools; and
Whereas, Local public libraries are critical to the economic development of the communities in
which they are located and have a proven correlation with higher property values, better schools,
increased wages and higher levels of employment than in communities without local public libraries;
and
Whereas, More than seventy-seven percent of the public libraries in this country are located in
small communities and rural areas; and
Whereas, Local public libraries are often the only public depository of local history books and
resources available to local historians, public officials, teachers, students and families; and
Whereas, Despite technological advancement and the widespread availability of books, research
and other information through digital media, libraries find sustained demand for their services, and, in
the year 2013, the Pew Research Center found that Americans under the age of thirty visit libraries at
the same rate as older Americans and are more likely to use the technical resources of libraries than
their older counterparts; and
Whereas, West Virginia can ill afford to neglect or ignore the sustained need for up-to-date,
efficient, safe, comfortable and well-funded local public libraries throughout the state; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby requested to study the longterm needs, in consideration of the impact of local public libraries on their communities and their role
in economic development, education and welfare of their communities, in regards to maintenance and
construction of local public libraries and the methods for providing adequate funding to meet those
needs; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance establish a select
committee on local public library improvement to conduct the study on this and such other relevant
topics as the Joint Committee may deem appropriate; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular
session of the Legislature, 2016, on the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the select
committee, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and,
be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to
draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance.