Estonia cuts funding for library book purchases

Estonia will cut next year’s funding for library book purchases by about 100,000 euros, even as library use rises, ERR reported. The Culture Ministry says libraries will have to make tougher choices, while Tallinn says the funding system treats the city unfairly.

Popular books this year include Tõnu Õnnepalu’s “Tööpäev” and Valerie Perrin’s “Minu kallis tädi”. At Tallinn’s Südalinna Library, peak waiting lists for both titles reached 100 people.

When a book proves popular, the library buys additional copies. The funding cut will affect its acquisitions, said library director Tiina Põldmaa. She said the library would aim to preserve variety, but reducing the number of copies would be the first way to save money.

Culture Ministry library adviser Ülle Talihärm said public libraries are run by local governments, which must make choices if funding falls. They may need to reduce the number of titles and slightly increase the number of copies of books they do acquire, she said.

Tallinn Deputy Mayor Monika Haukanõmm said the city is trying to make up for the shortfall, but that this is not sustainable. Tallinn added 445,000 euros this year to buy library materials, she said. The city receives a funding coefficient of 0.6, the only municipality to do so: for every euro allocated to another municipality, Tallinn receives 60 cents. Haukanõmm said Tallinn could have received nearly 650,000 euros in state support this year but received 380,000 euros.

A new Public Libraries Act is due to take effect in January, but the ministry says it will not immediately give libraries new responsibilities. A larger change is expected in 2028, when a shared library database is due to begin operating. The ministry hopes to increase funding for library materials in the state budget and revise how the support is allocated, Talihärm said.