[lstac] SD State Library

[Hemmelman, Brenda]

Hello fellow coordinators,

Yesterday our outgoing governor, Kristi Noem, released her FY26 recommended budget. The budget basically defunded the SD State Library.

SDSL has three divisions: Access Services, Development Services, and Accessible Library Services (ALS). ALS was the only division retained because of the potential outcry of not serving those who are unable to access standard print materials.

I am the manager of Access and Development Services, and my entire staff was notified that they will no longer have jobs as of June 8, 2025. The Dept of Education, which we are under, will also no longer accept federal LSTA funding, so our statewide databases, ILL, resource sharing ILS, statewide courier, collections, training and much more will go away. Not to mention no need for an LSTA Coordinator. Basically, there will be no state library, only a service.

Our State Librarian, George, and I are being retained. In my opinion, this is just long enough for the two of us to wrap things up and disperse collections. We are both planning to leave.

This plan still has to go through our legislative process, which starts in January. SD Library Association and librarians in SD will no doubt help us fight this. George, however, does not have a lot of hope. Our DOE leadership is not friendly to SDSL, and we have many new ultra-conservative legislators that won election in November.

I fear this will send a message to schools, cities and counties in SD that it is okay to defund libraries. It could also have an effect outside SD.

If you have advocacy ideas to help us fight this, I am all ears.


[cid:image001.png at 01DB4623.D5F192A0]
Brenda Hemmelman
Access & Development Services Manager

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE LIBRARY
605.773.5075 | 800 Governors Dr, Pierre, SD 57501


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