The state budget passed on April 9 has both good and bad news for libraries.

The good news: The $5 million cut in library aid proposed by the governor's office was restored. The budget also continues the $14 million in public library construction aid. The bad news: The Division of Budget imposed a 2 percent, across-the-board cut in many, but not all, state-funded programs. So, library aid will be $2 million less than last year.

Between 1990 and 2008, aid to state libraries has been shortchanged by $55 million — the difference between what state laws require and what libraries actually got. Now the library community is holding its collective breath hoping that Monroe County and the city of Rochester will not follow suit and cut library allocations.

Any drop in funding would stifle our plan of service, create job loss and deprive library users across our area. Keeping our doors open and providing basic library services are now in jeopardy.

The Civil Service Employees Association, New York state's largest union with more than 265,000 members, collaborated with the New York Library Association and other library organizations to ask for our fair share from the state. We wish to thank our local state delegation for the $5 million restorations and hope that our city and county officials will also recognize the importance of a strong library system.

Strong public libraries are crucial in hard economic times, particularly for the most challenged in our society. As library workers, we try to provide the tools users need to research job information and business opportunities, connect with homebound patrons, serve our local prison population and link to continuing education and literacy programs.

More than 10 times the number of people visit New York state's public libraries each year than attend New York state's professional baseball, basketball, football and hockey games combined. For every $1 of state aid that New York state's public library systems receive, library users receive about $13 in services.

Moreover, a recent Zogby Poll commissioned by the New York Library Association found that 82 percent of respondents favored increasing aid for buying books for public libraries.

Adequately funding our libraries will enable us to continue the countywide delivery of customer-focused services our region has come to know, love and respect.

Overmyer is president, CSEA City of Rochester Library Workers 7420; and, co-chairman, CSEA Political Action Committee, Local 828.