Less money from the state and rising digital costs led to the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library's decision to end free reciprocal cards for Northern Kentucky residents.
After Jan. 3, 2027, residents of Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties will need to pay $90 a year for a Cincinnati library card. The card allows patrons to check out materials at the 41 library branches in Hamilton County and check out ebooks and audiobooks through apps like Libby.
Rising digital costs strain library budget
Cincinnati Public Library Communications Director Angela Hursh said audiobooks are now the library's most used digital format and recently exceeded the number of print materials circulated.
"One thing I don't know that the public knows is that unlike print books, a library doesn't just buy
a copy of a digital title once and then own it forever. Most of the digital titles for ebooks and audio books are licensed under terms set by the publishers, and they often ask us to repurchase the copy after a certain number of checkouts," Hursh said.
Less state money for public libraries
Hursh said the 2025 state budget cut $25 million from the Ohio Public Library Fund and reallocated the money to other state agencies. She was not able to say what that meant specifically for the Cincinnati library budget. In 2025, the library system received $49 million from the state's public library fund, according to its annual report of that year.
The Cincinnati library system is funded primarily by state money and local levies.
Hursh said the library system does not anticipate reductions in services or staff at this time, but is "trying to be as responsible" as it can be to maintain a debt-free budget. She said it's too early to say how the budget strain will affect the levies. Voters last approved a library levy at a rate of 1.5 mills in 2023.
Library officials decided on a cost of $90 for out-of-state library cards because it's roughly the amount the owner of a $150,000 home in Hamilton County pays in taxes per year, Hursh said.
She also said the library's reciprocal agreement was unusual and most libraries do not have similar agreements, even with libraries just across state lines.
"I think for the Northern Kentucky folks, the Northern Kentucky libraries are great libraries that those people still have access to," she said.
Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties each run their own library systems. Card holders in each system can check out materials, including ones borrowed through Libby, free of charge.
Hamilton County reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Rising ebook costs, less state money strain Cincinnati library budget
