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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Picraux		DATE TYPED:	2/15/99		HB	155
SHORT TITLE:		Electronic Databases for Libraries				SB
					ANALYST:		Hadwiger

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY99

FY2000

FY99

FY2000

$ 700.0

Recurring

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SB 124

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA)

Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

State Department of Education (SDE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

The bill would appropriate $700.0 general fund in FY2000 and FY2001 to the library division of the office of cultural affairs to purchase:

a general interest electronic journals database for public, academic and secondary public school libraries ($300.0);
an electronic business information database for public academic and secondary public school libraries ($300.0); and
an electronic health and medical information database for public, academic and secondary public school libraries ($100.0).

Significant Issues

This proposal is supported by the State Board of Education in its legislative package for public school support.

According to the CHE, a major problem for academic libraries has been maintaining and enhancing their collections in the face of severe library price inflation. CHE has incorporated this concern in their request that higher education library institutions be funded at 45 percent of the national average for library acquisitions.

The SDE indicated that the proposed statewide subscription to these databases would result in a saving of public funds for periodical subscriptions. At the same time, subscription would increase access to information at each library site, particularly in the smaller libraries. The three databases funded with monies in the bill contain over 2,200 magazines and journals chosen for their appropriateness for general audience use, business use and health/medical use. The number of titles (1,400 of which are provided in full-text or full-image form) is larger than the average number of titles which small libraries can afford to subscribe to with their regular budgets. In addition, the databases are indexed by subject to allow speedy access.

According to SDE, a statewide subscription to the general interest database was provided by the library division of OCA to public, academic and secondary public school libraries in FY99 using federal grant funds (Library Services and Training Act) that was limited for only one year.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

According to the OCA, continuation of these databases would require funding beyond FY2001.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

The OCA anticipates minimal administrative impact from enactment of this bill.

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