The State Library of Ohio has approved $16,102 in Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds for Bluffton Public Library to join the Serving Every Ohioan (SEO) Consortium.

The LSTA funds will cover 75 percent of the costs to migrate to SEO. The grant will run from Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 30, 2012.

The SEO Library Center, located in Caldwell, supports a consortium of 79 library systems at 176 physical locations throughout 41 counties across Ohio. Several area libraries, including Findlay, Ada and Forest, are members of the SEO consortium.

"We are looking forward to empowering our patrons and providing enhanced access to materials and services," said circulation coordinator Justin Crawfis.

"Patrons will gain the ability to search a shared catalog of nearly six million items, place requests themselves at the library or from any remote location with Internet access. The migration will also provide frequently requested services such as downloadable e-books and audio books and the ability to view book cover art and read book reviews while searching the library's online catalog," he said.

According to Cindi Chasse, Bluffton Public Library director, this LSTA grant opportunity to join a consortium could not have come at a better time.

She said the library continues to operate with annual state funding cuts that now exceed 35 percent (more than $80,000) per year and is expecting further reductions in 2012 and 2013.

"We are continually looking for ways to reduce costs and maintain a high level of service to the community and this LSTA grant will allow us to do both. It is more costly and less efficient to operate as a stand-alone library system than as a member of a consortium that shares resources. Additional savings will be gained by eliminating the need to purchase and maintain expensive hardware onsite," Chasse said.

LSTA was enacted on Sept. 30, 1996 and enables public, school, academic and special libraries to apply for federal library funds.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the federal agency that fosters innovation, leadership and lifetime learning through the support of museum and library programs. IMLS provides LSTA funds each year to the State Library of Ohio.