The Eugene Public Library plays a central and essential role in our community. It needs your voice.
UPDATES
The Library Levy Passes!
Eugene voters said yes to the Library for the fifth consecutive election since 2002, and they said yes by a decisive margin. What that yes means, in concrete terms:
A Children’s Librarian focused on early literacy
Storytime to Go restored for young children
New books and digital materials for kids and adults
All three locations: Downtown, Bethel and Sheldon, open seven days a week
Two new kiosks for picking up and returning materials
Five more years of guaranteed funding for 23% of the Library’s budge
This is the fifth consecutive yes since 2002, and that streak is not an accident. It is the result of a community that shows up for its Library, election after election. We hope you will stay connected as we continue advocating for the Library at City Council and beyond. The levy funds 23% of the budget. The other 77% still needs champions.
Sources of Library Funding
How does library funding work in Eugene?
In 2025, our local library received 76% of its funding from the City of Eugene’s general fund. A levy, passed in 2020 by 77% of voters, funds another 22%. The remaining 2% is covered by private donations from Friends of the Eugene Public Library and The Eugene Public Library Foundation. In recent years, the library’s operating budget has been slashed by cuts to the city’s general fund, and is now operating with as few resources and staff as it can while maintaining the standard of service that patrons need. Library supporters are concerned that unless the City identifies other sources of revenue in the next budget cycle, it will face another 10% cut.
A Challenging Timeline for the Eugene Public Library
Spring 2026: City Council puts a levy on the May 2026 ballot that funds over 22% of library services and operations. The levy, if passed by voters, would fund maintaining hours, safety, children’s literacy staff and initiatives, as well as place book kiosks in 2 underserved areas of the city.
Spring/Summer 2025: A successful petition to put the Fire Services Fee to a public vote is set, but the City Council instead votes to increase the Stormwater fee, which will net $4.7M. The budget committee recommends to the City Council to use some additional funds to maintain current library services for the next biennium.
Winter 2025: City Council passes the Fire Services Fee by a vote of 5-3, which avoids the most drastic cuts to the library. Those who voted for the fee include Councilors Kashinsky (Ward 1), Keating (Ward 2), Zelenka (Ward 3), Yeh (Ward 4), and Leech (Ward 7). Voting against the fee were Councilors Clark (Ward 5), Evans (Ward 6) and Groves (Ward 8).
Fall 2024: The library operates at the lowest staffing level possible to maintain current hours. Zero dollars are earmarked for library materials in fiscal year 2025 - including physical books and periodicals, database subscriptions, The Library of Things, DVDs, streaming services, e-books, children’s materials, and more. If no other revenue sources are identified by the City of Eugene, further cuts await in the spring.
July 2024: Library staff announce changes to operating hours to compensate for stress on staff caused by cuts.
June 2024: Council approves 1.5 additional FTE cut to library staff (KLCC article).
September 2023: Staff struggle to maintain service level due to cuts. Programs are reduced, off-site outreach programs are eliminated, reshelving and processing is slowed, and staff are stretched thin.
June 2023: Council approves a 15% cut to the library’s operating budget. Staff report that materials and programming can no longer funded, if not for the levy and private donations.
June 2022: The Library Journal ranks Eugene Public Library in the top 3% in the nation for cost-effective delivery of services.
Cuts to the Eugene Public Library budget have significantly impacted the community.
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