Despite the recent turmoil in the U.S. economy, most libraries that were tracked by "Library Journal" won their referenda at a rate just slightly lower than 2007. Nearly three-quarters of operating referenda passed. Building referenda under $10 million passed at a whopping 85%, with those over $10 million batting slightly better than…

This article discusses the library referenda in 2004. Some of the trends that emerged included: dueling libraries in Rhode Island, big wins for big cities, erosion of voter support for libraries in the Illinois heartland matched with the emergence of library support in the Southwest and the re-upping of big California taxes.

This report consists of six individual reports that were done by staff members at the Library Research Center as part of the overall project. In Part I, "Financing Public Library Expansion: Case Studies of Three Defeated Bond Issue Referendums," Ruth G. Lindahl and William S. Berner analyze defeated library bond issue referendums in…