The new book stacks at Ohio libraries could get sparse this year as state funding has decreased alarmingly. Sue Heckler Pittman, director of the St. Marys Community Public Library, is hoping for some help from patrons.

The coming year appears to be a dark and stormy night for Ohio libraries including St. Marys Community Public Library, whose projected book budget is down 66 percent. The culprit: a funding shortfall at the state level. But it' . . .