Cyber-Fundraising and North Carolina Public Libraries

Abstract

In February 2002, Governor Michael F. Easley announced that North
Carolina was suffering from a $900 million budget deficit. The
Governor’s solution to this problem was to withhold $209 million in
state payments to local governments, which in turn forced many to
slash local budgets.1 Because public libraries are heavily subsidized
through these revenues, budget cuts loomed ominously over North
Carolina public libraries and their leaders. Libraries in western North
Carolina were faced with losing as much as 50 percent of their funding.2