Wisconsin is in top ten in the nation for library usage

MADISON -- Fewer people may be reading from actual books because of e-readers, iPads and tablets. But it turns out, Wisconsin residents still borrow more than one million library materials each week. That means Wisconsin ranks in the top ten in the nation for library usage.

Wisconsin’s 385 public libraries are part of a network of 17 public library systems that work together to fill requests, share materials, and provide services more economically than if each library worked alone.

State funding for library systems was cut 10 percent each year of the 2011-13 budget, which amounts to $3.3 million over two years. Those cuts, and local and county funding decreases, have made it difficult for libraries to maintain their historic high service levels.